We are re-positioning the automotive sector for a better environment – NADDC Boss

The Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) Jelani Aliyu has said the Council is repositioning the automotive sector with the introduction of the automotive bill which is waiting for presidential assent.

Aliyu made this known during a national workshop on reducing low Sulphur fuels and global fuel economy initiative in Nigeria.

“Big chunk of petrol of petrol is refined and imported into Nigeria so we want a policy where they meet the environmental Sulphur standard and we are also looking at reconfiguration of the existing ones.

On the issue of importing dilapidated cars into the country, Aliyu said the solutions are on the way as Nigerian can’t afford to allow dilapidated cars to keep coming into the country.

He noted that the automotive bill has passed the lower and upper chambers of the legislature and currently waiting for presidential assent. He said if the bill is endorsed, it will allow support for local production and provide better environment.

The DG added that the council met with companies like Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen and others in South Africa recently where they have reached an agreement to come into Nigeria full time to invest huge amount of money in production of cars.

In her contributions, Jane Akumu of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) said air pollution which emanate from smoky cars and other factors post the highest environmental risk that accounts for about 7 million deaths in the world and 20,000 in Nigeria annually.

She added that Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa have the cleanest mobility in Africa which is why UNEP is negotiating with oil exporting countries to ensure clean fuel is imported into Nigeria and other African countries, urging Nigeria to check the standards and ensure that imported fuel is clean as obtained in countries that refine fuel in large quantities.

In his remarks, the Minister of state for environment, Usman Jibrin said the ministry in collaboration with other relevant agencies have set up a policy to reduce importation of diesel in Nigeria.

“What we are trying to do now is to reduce the import of diesel from 3,000ppm to 50ppm at the first instance and we have given refineries a waiver of 3-4yrs so that they can prepare to produce that level of fuel.

Also, we are submitting the policy plan to Federal Executive Council to approve so that it can implemented by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and Nigerian National Population Corporation,” he said.