The Senate Committee on Industry has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating the passage of the proposed National Automotive Industry Bill 2026, aimed at safeguarding domestic vehicle manufacturers, attracting local investment, and strengthening Nigeria’s automotive ecosystem.
The announcement was made during an joint oversight tour conducted alongside the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) across key industrial automotive facilities in Kano and Kaduna states. The joint inspection aimed to evaluate the operational readiness, infrastructure capacity, and production challenges of domestic vehicle plants as the country drives toward automotive self-sufficiency.
During the multi-state exercise, lawmakers visited major industrial sites, including the NADDC Automotive Training/CNG Conversion Centre in Kano, as well as PAN Nigeria Ltd and D-PAN in Kaduna.
The Senate Committee aims to finalize and enact the National Automotive Industry Bill 2026 to build a competitive and sustainable domestic value chain.
Lawmakers advocated for policy interventions and statutory restrictions on foreign-used imports (“Tokunbo” vehicles) and tricycles that can be manufactured domestically, driving job creation and protecting local capital.
While inspecting operations, the committee confirmed that domestic facilities possess the foundational capacity for mass production, provided sustained government support and maintenance frameworks are established.
The oversight mission aligns directly with the Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy, prioritizing local production and domestic industrial capacity over import reliance.
“We are the lawmakers, and the essence of this oversight is to identify ground-level challenges directly so we can ensure appropriate laws are passed,” stated Senator Francis Fadahunsi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Industry. “To protect domestic manufacturing, create sustainable jobs, and safeguard investments, we must amend existing legislation and introduce targeted statutory restrictions on foreign-used vehicles where local capacity exists.”
Commenting on the joint exercise, the Director-General of the NADDC, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, emphasized that legislative support remains essential to unlocking the sector’s potential and advancing the nation’s broader industrialization agenda.
