Motoring
Kia to assemble 25,000 vehicles annually in Lagos
LAGOS-About a year after announcing its plan to go into local vehicle production, Kia Motors Nigeria has made good its promise with the inauguration of its assembly plant in Lagos.
The firm said in a statement obtained on Tuesday that with the unveiling of its new assembly plant, United Vehicle Assembly Limited, it would be able to produce 25,000 vehicles per annum.
The statement quoted the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, as expressing his delight at the successful completion of the new plant.
Aganga, on a visit to the new assembly plant, was quoted to have said, “I am pleasantly surprised at the level of success and the advanced technology of this plant. I have visited different auto assembly plants across the globe and I can tell you that with the level of the quality assurance control and the sophistication of the equipment of this assembly plant, it can compete with others internationally.”
The Chief Executive Officer, UVAL, Mr. Jacky Hathiramani, said, “The move to establish an assembly plant stems from the tide of investment aimed at Nigeria and keying into the country’s automotive policy.
“We are committed to making Nigeria a leading auto manufacturing country in Africa and to contribute immensely to the development of the nation through this multi-billion naira investment.”
He stressed that the plant had employed engineering graduates from Nigerian universities and would continue to provide employment for the citizens.
“With today’s opening of our plant in Lagos, we have taken our growth commitment to a greater height in Nigeria and reposition our brand to the teeming publics by supporting the proudly Nigeria dream,” Hathiramani said.
The statement also quoted the Chief Commercial Officer, Kia Motors Nigeria, Mr. Sandeep Malhotra, as saying, “The unprecedented stride of Kia brand in the automobile industry in Nigeria has continued to outpace competitions in offering best in class automotive technology to its customers.
“Premised on our increased acceptability among our valued customers in the last decade, we are now looking at further strengthening our foothold and expanding our reach in the Nigerian market with the new assembly plant.”
According to the firm, Kia recently launched its made in Nigeria vehicles such as Kia Rio, Cerato, Optima, Sorento and Soul.
It also promised to start producing all the Kia models, including sedans, sport utility vehicles and pickups before the end of the year.
“It has continuously embarked on promising growth trajectory with a positive growth for over a decade, making it one of the fastest growing automobiles in Nigeria,” the firm said, adding that this was in a bid to strengthen its leadership role in the industry.
Founded in 1944, Kia Motor Corporation, one of the Korea’s oldest manufacturers of motor vehicles, is said to have the record of producing over 2.5 million vehicles a year.
The statement also said KMC was currently making vehicles in 15 manufacturing and assembly operations in 10 countries, “which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 149 countries. Kia today has over 47,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of $39bn.”
-PUNCH
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has ended contracts with taxi rank and terminal operators due to their failure to meet engagement terms and conditions.
Mr. Ubokutom Nyah, the Mandate Secretary of the Transportation Secretariat, FCTA, made this announcement during a meeting with managers of these terminals and taxi ranks in Abuja.
Nyah clarified that due to the operators’ failure to fulfill their engagement terms, the FCTA had to terminate their contracts.
He instructed them to transfer control of the ranks to the Administration within three months, starting from Nov. 21.
He lamented the presence of unauthorized motor parks in the city and assured the readiness of the Administration to establish proper taxi ranks and terminals in the capital.
He revealed that personally visiting the city’s taxi ranks, terminals, and unauthorized motor parks gave him direct insight into the poor condition of these facilities.
He emphasized that as the federal capital city, Abuja deserves better, highlighting that the poor condition of these facilities attracts various criminal elements.
He said “We must rid Abuja of all these. I have gone round the taxi ranks, and of all the places I visited, not one is worthy to be called even a village motor park.”
The Mandate Secretary stressed that the intention wasn’t punitive; rather, it aimed to revamp the sector, introduce new engagement terms, and modernize taxi ranks and terminals in the federal capital.
He also highlighted the plan to increase the number of terminals and ranks where necessary, which would positively impact the administration’s revenue.
He emphasized that this measure was part of a broader effort to eliminate illegal motor parks in Abuja and curb the associated criminal activities.
In response, Mr. Adebisi Lawal, the Operator of Jahi Taxi Rank, praised the administration’s initiative to modernize the taxi ranks and terminals.
Lawal urged the administration to prioritize current operators’ involvement in the selection of new developers for the modernization of the taxi ranks and terminals.
It was a show of power at the Ojota area of Lagos on Monday as soldiers pummeled an officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, (LASTMA).
Eyewitness accounts claim that the ugly scene played out around 8am, and saw about eight soldiers pounce on the yet to identified LASTMA official, while his colleagues took to their heels.
The video of the melodrama has gone viral, where the LASTMA official was appealing to the soldiers, who appeared bent on ‘teaching him a lesson’.
This onslaught comes on the back of a reported assault of a soldier at the same location by LASTMA officials last week.
It would appear that what played out today was the army asserting its authority and defending their khaki as the armed soldiers carried out what looked like a revenge mission.
Eyewitnesses further averred that the victim was rushed to a nearby hospital, after the soldiers left the scene.
It was gathered that the authorities at LASTMA has reported the incident to the military authorities who are said to be looking into the matter.
Meanwhile many members of the public are rejoicing that the soldiers have taught the crude LASTMA official that power is stronger than power, for all their atrocities against motorists on Lagos roads.
The impact of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, has seen the pump prices of the product skyrocket with a corresponding increase in the cost commercial transportation in Nigeria.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), intra-city bus transportation fares across Nigerian cities, measured between May and June 2023, increased from N649.59 to N1,285.41 in June 2023.
This translates to 98 percent growth or N635.82 within the month in view.
The NBS made the data available in its Transport Fare Watch report for June 2023.
In the report, the NBS also shared the breakdown of bus journeys within the cities per drop for constant routes; bus journey intercity (state route); charges per person, amongst others.
On a year-on-year basis, the report has it that bus fares rose by 120.63 percent from N582.61 paid by commuters in June 2022.
The average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop rose to N5,686.49 in June 2023 compared to N4,002.16 in May 2023 indicating an increase of 42.09 percent, month-on-month.
The report read, “The average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop increased by 97.88 per cent from N649.59 in May 2023 to N1,285.41 in June 2023.
On a year-on-year basis, it rose by 120.63 per cent from N582.61 in June 2022.
“In another category, the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop rose to N5,686.49 in June 2023, indicating an increase of 42.09 on a month-on-month basis compared to N4,002.16 in May 2023.
“On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 55.25 per cent from N3,662.87 in June 2022.”
Biztellers reported that the twin forces of forex pressure and increasing price of Brent in the global market would likely see the pump prices of petrol, increased again in no distant time in Nigeria.
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