…Say it Would Create Employment for Nigerian Youths
President Buhari-led administration of the federal Republic of Nigeria has been urged to start exploiting the huge micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) business potentials of Electric Vehicles (EVs) for the nation’s engineering Entrepreneurs to create more jobs for the teeming youths.
This advice was contained in communiqué issued at end of a recent public lecture on “THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IN THE 21ST CENTURY: IMPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIA” delivered by Engr. Aminu Jalal, former Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC)at the NIGERIAN SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS (NSE) Headquarters Auditorium, Abuja.
The engineers, who lamented low level of public awareness on EVs in the country, called on Nigerian government to commence an aggressive public awareness campaign on the uses of EVs as well as charging-points.
“Governments in the advanced economies are encouraging the development of electric vehicles to reduce air pollution and green house gas emissions,” the engineers argued, adding, “The vehicle manufacturers have responded enthusiastically, and in about a decade, sales of electric vehicles are projected to overtake those with internal combustion engines.”
They, therefore, called on the Federal Ministry of Environment to join forces in the development and promotion of the use of EVs in Nigeria to help achieve signed global Climate Change agreements.
The communiqué reads further: “Uninterruptible and High quality electric power is a fundamental infrastructure for the successful adoption of EVs. The Federal Government through it Ministry of Power, Ministry of Transportation and the NADDC should intensify its efforts in collaboration with the private sector in providing cheap, available and adequate electricity especially at major transportation and economic hub of the nation.
“The demand for crude oil is expected to peak in the late 2030s and decline thereafter due to the effect of electric vehicles. Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, and the NADDC should provide sustainable policies and sponsor legislation from National Assembly to reposition the nation to benefit from enormous opportunities derivable from electric and autonomous vehicles design, production, commercialization and servicing in the bid to achieve a manufacturing and industrialized Nigeria economy.
“Also, the economic diversification policy of government should therefore be given added impetus using EVs economy as an alternative to avert the expected economic decline from the oil economy to keep the nation on a steady economic growth path.”
As stated in the communiqué, the engineers observed that Nigeria has practically many of the raw materials for vehicle production, calling on Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals to intensify efforts in developing the Nigerian mining and steel industries.
They also called on NADDC formulate policies and strategize on how to develop more automotive components, so that investment in component manufacturing can be made easy using model rationalization and standardization for guarantee sustainable development of Nigerian automotive industry.
“The Federal Government,” the engineers recommends, “should charge the automotive engineers to produce a Nigerian car within 18 months through full sponsorship like it has done with development of some national infrastructures like power plants and water dams.
“The Nigerian President and other national leaders should out of patriotism officially use the Nigerian car for national prestige and the promotion of “Buy Nigerian” to provide sufficient local market for them thereby sustaining development of the industry; create employment, youth empowerment and economic growth.”
