By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
As part of the First Nigeria Policy of the President Bola Tinubu administration, the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr Oluwemimo Osanipin, has disclosed that twelve universities have been selected for electric car manufacturing.
The twelve universities, comprising two from each geopolitical zone of the country, according to the DG, will be financed by the Bank of Industry and other key financial institutions.
Mr Osanipin made the disclosure in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, during a stakeholders’ engagement with the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON) and the Nigeria Automotive Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (NAMA).
The theme of the engagement was “Import of Used Cars and Dealership Regulation in Nigeria.”
He stated that Nigeria was also committed to component and parts manufacturing as part of its preparation for the production of Made-in-Nigeria vehicles and in fulfilment of the First Nigeria Policy.
According to him, the country is on its way to achieving 100% locally made electric vehicles, adding that the federal government has already built stations in ten of the universities in readiness for the project’s takeoff.
He said, “When I came in, one of the major initiatives I pushed for was component development, but let me state here that no country, no company, no OEM manufactures its own vehicle entirely.
For example, the company that manufactures Mercedes has suppliers who produce engines for them, but they handle the design and interior. Other suppliers produce bulbs and braking systems. No OEM manufactures all the components, but we are conscious of what happens after sales.
Apart from producing parts to service vehicle production, you produce more parts to service after-sales because, let’s say annual production is 500,000, but the vehicles you service on the road amount to about 18 million. What this means is that we need to produce more parts.
That’s why we are pushing for components and parts production. As of today, we are expanding. We have identified the components that we can manufacture with comparative advantage and lower cost, such as plastic parts, which can be derived from petroleum by-products.
There are many things that we can produce here in Nigeria. We are working with major assemblers. In terms of design, we have initiated a programme involving twelve universities, two from each geopolitical zone, to design what we call the University Shuttle Bus, which will be 100% electric.
It will be designed in Nigeria, and most of the parts will be sourced locally. We are working on it. When the universities complete the design, we will collaborate with assemblers and vehicle manufacturers and seek financial support from institutions such as the Bank of Industry and other financial entities to enable production.
Gradually, we are progressing towards fully designed and manufactured electric vehicles in Nigeria. In preparation for this, we have started building charging stations in several universities, and in the next few months, we will cover no fewer than ten universities.
By the time we complete this, we will have built some foundational infrastructure. Gradually, we are shaping the future and advancing component parts production.”