Nigeria Launches First Locally-built Motorcycles

Nigeria has recorded a feat with the recent launch of a Made in
Nigeria motorcycle constructed by the National Agency for
Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
Speaking at the launching in Anambra State, the Executive Vice
Chairman (EVC) of the agency, Dr.Mohammed Haruna, said
the made-in-Nigeria motorcycle called "NASENI M1" was proof
of the potential capability of the agency to provide necessary
engineering and technology infrastructure for Nigeria's
industrial development.
Haruna said that the 80C engine motorcycle was conceived,
designed and manufactured using local materials by Nigerian
engineers at the National Engineering Design Development
Institute (NEDDI), Nnewi , Anambra State -one of the nine
Research and Development (R& ) institutes supervised by
NASENI.
The EVC disclosed that the product was basically one of the
targets of the Agency in response to President Goodluck
Jonathan's vision 20:2020 economic transformation agenda.
He said, "The Federal Government which the Agency is
part of, has promised Nigerians a better socio-
economic deal by year 2020 even as Mr President has
also committed the government to elevate the
economic status of Nigeria to be among the 20 fastest
growing economies in the world by 2020."
He remarked that by NASENI's reckoning, a country could only
be self reliant and economically developed when her citizens
begin to exercise and assert their ingenuities in productive
capacities or real time manufacturing towards technological
advancement of the country.
According to him, "Nigerians must demonstrate real
capacities for engineering technology development,
and production of manufactured goods and a service,
saying that is why NASENI had taken this bold step to
demonstrate to Nigerians that Mr.President's dream is
both realizable and is even being realized."
He called on the federal
government to ban the
importation of motorcycles as he
declared bravely that Nigeria
has perfected the technology
and manufacturing capacity to
mass produce motorcycles in
Nnewi, South-East Nigeria.
"About 20 million Nigerians
today rely on motorcycles as a
means of transport and many
unemployed youths and men
support their families or earn a
living from running motorcycle
as a commercial venture.
Imagine the large number of
jobs that will be created if only
Nigeria could close her borders
against the importation of
motorcycles and allow
entrepreneurs to invest in the
manufacturing of the parts
including production of the
motorcycle locally.
"Nigeria, no doubt, has all the
materials needed to produce
motorcycles in Nigeria, 100
percent. NASENI has both the
raw materials survey, their
locations, equipment and the
critical human capacity, design,
feasibility studies and the
business plan for running a
successful plant to produce
motorcycles. What we are
waiting for now is for Nigerian
entrepreneurs to come forward
and take advantage of this
profitable investment to
manufacture of the
motorcycles," he stressed.
He reiterated the need for the private sector, especially the
Small and Medium Scale Entreprises (SME's) to collaborate with
the agency by buying into the technology and mass
producing them, stressing that doing so will not only
contribute immensely to the nation's Gross Domestic Product
(GDP), but will also depopulate the growing unemployment
market.
"The law establishing NASENI and its institutes does not allow it
to embark on full scale manufacturing of products and or
become full scale player in the market but for every
technology and engineering products developed within the
agency system to be ceded to the private sector for
commercial purpose or mass production. Its mission includes
hitherto establishing and nurturing appropriate dynamic
science and engineering infrastructure base for achieving
home initiated and home sustained industrialization through
the development of relevant processes, capital goods and
equipment necessary for job creation, national economic well-
being and progress," he added.
He further said that the primary target of NASENI is to
empower SMEs through impartation of technologies,
engineering principles and practices for production of
equipment that will meet international standards as well as
sustenance of a flourishing local capital goods or industry.
In a statement signed by the Chief Information Officer (Media
and Protocol), Mr. Segun Ayeoyenikan, it said hitherto,
NASENI's mandate is concerned with activities in the areas of
capital goods research, production and reverse engineering of
parts with respect to engineering materials (iron, steel,
nonferrous metals and alloys, plastics, glass, ceramics,
polymer electronics and nanotechnology); industrial and
analytical chemical materials including industrial glasses;
scientific equipment and components for education, research
and industry including measuring instruments, electronic
components, communication equipment and computers, solid
minerals machinery and other heavy equipment
manufacturing.