Senate Committee on Industry, Trade and Investments has urged both the federal and state governments to begin full patronage of ANAMMCO, one of Nigeria’s indigenous automobile manufacturers, as part of efforts to revive the country’s automobile sector and reduce dependence on imported vehicles.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Adenigba Fadahunsi, made the appeal yesterday, during the committee’s oversight visit to the ANAMMCO production plant in Enugu.

In his address, Fadahunsi said the lawmakers were impressed with the company’s capacity to assemble new vehicles and refurbish abandoned government-owned fleets.

He said, “We have found out that a lot of potentials are being wasted because of non-patronage by federal and state governments. Instead of wasting foreign resources we don’t have on importation, let us buy from our own. Whatever we buy here will be reinvested into the economy.”

Describing ANAMMCO as “a renewed hope,” Fadahunsi said the company had recovered from years of ownership disputes and was now proving that Nigeria could assemble and manufacture modern vehicles, including CNG-powered buses.

Fadahunsi said the senate will lobby ministries, departments and agencies of government to stop buying refurbished imported vehicles and begin patronage of ANAMMCO, as, according to him, “There are no types of vehicles that the government is looking for that the assembler cannot produce.”

Chief Operating Officer of ANAMMCO, Mr. Bennett Ejindu, said the committee’s visit showed that both the executive and legislature were renewing interest in industrialisation, especially in the auto sector.

“It gives us a lot of hope that authorities within Nigeria are interested in reviving automotive manufacturing,” Ejindu said.

He added, “No one expects the government to run the plants. What we want is for them to create an environment where private sector investments can survive.” (This Day)