From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The National Automotive Design and Development Council,NADDC says beginning from January next year 2026, it would adopt new policies that would transform the Nigerian automatic industry sector.
According to the Council, new policies including End-of-life vehicle recycling, mandatory certification of imported used cars, and among others would be carrying out in 2026.
The Director‑General of the Council, Mr. Joseph Oluweminu Osanipin, disclosed this during a media parley with Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria,CICAN, in Abuja recently.
He said the end-of-life vehicle policy has already approved for implementation. Saying that under the policy, vehicle owners will be required to turn in their old cars for recycling rather than abandoning them.
The policy he said, also require a fee at the point of registering a new vehicle to fund the future environmentally sound disposal of the car being purchased.
“In a developed countries, immediately you buy a new vehicle and during registration you made a payment towards the disposal of that vehicle.
“When you get to the end-of-life vehicle, you can’t see all those abandoned vehicles by the road. It meant some body has to be responsible for the disposal”. Osanipin said.
The Director General of the Council noted that the policy would also create more jobs and would drive a circular economy worth billions of naira.
Revealing further to some of the Council’s plans in 2026 he said, by next year all the imported used cars must undergo certification tests before shipment to Nigeria, as well as to enforce extended producer responsibility, hold assemblers and manufacturers accountable in ensuring vehicles remain safe throughout their lifecycle.
“You don’t just sell a vehicle and believe it has ended. It doesn’t happen like that in Canada, Japan or China,” he noted.
The Director General of the Council said his Council has not only trained technicians on compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicle (EV) maintenance, but has also released national occupational standards for both.
The Council he said, is also collaborating with innovators and universities to enhance prototypes for tricycles, buses, and electric campus shuttles. Adding that by next year Certification programs will be introduced to grade competencies.
He revealed that the council is also prioritizing local production of auto parts such as tyres, brake pads, filters, and plastics, leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area’s(AfCFTA) 40% rule of origin, to position Nigeria as a primary supplier of automotive parts across the continent. Believing that components are the pillars and engine room of the auto industry.
“Components are the engine room of the auto industry, and Nigerians spend more on parts than on vehicles,” the DG explained, noting that locally made brake pads last up to 10,000 km compared to 3,000 to 4,000 km for imports.
To attract investment, he further revealed that the NADDC is working with the National Assembly on an Auto Industry Bill to give legal backing to the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) in Nigeria.
Mr. Osanipin called for the media collaboration and partnership with his Council so that those good policies and achievements carried out by the Council can get to the public awareness.
He said, “No matter how good packages the NADDC has, without the support of the media, it is just the what the Bible said, when you light a lantern and covered it up, no body will know you have put on the light and that is exactly what would happen when you don’t have the necessary media to work with, so media is always a good partner when it comes to the development, not only in Nigeria, but worldwide. For that we can not seen enough of how important CICAN as our partner in our development.”