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…Top Dignatories Storm Kaduna for Automotive Confab/Exhibition
(Olaolu Olusina in Kaduna)
The D-Day is here finally as all is ready for the First Kaduna Automotive Stakeholders Conference and Exhibition to fully take-off in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna. The first of its kind in the whole Northern Region, comprising 16 States in Nigeria, with a combination of no fewer than 60 million people, the maiden edition of the Kaduna Automotive Stakeholders Conference and Exhibition means so much to stakeholders here.
This is quite understandable as Kaduna is a metropolitan city and a major commercial centre in Northern Nigeria which is already attracting a lot of investments from both local and foreign companies.
Expected at the Asa Pyramid Hotel on Lafia Road, venue of the Stakeholders’ Conference, this Thursday morning are the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar; Director-General, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr. Jelani Aliyu, who will deliver the keynote address and many other top dignitaries. They are expected to immediately move to the Kaduna Township Stadium (formerly Ranchers Bees Stadium) along the Independence Road in Kaduna for the main exhibition after the stakeholders’ conference.
Already at the Exhibition Ground at the Kaduna Township Stadium, Wednesday evening, were officials from the National Trucks Manufacturing (NTM) Kano with their heavy duty HOWO Trucks already positioned at the company’s pavilion; Ammasco Lubricants; IKA Germany, the leading global autoparts suppliers of the GeBe range; with officials of Routes and Roads Transport Company Limite, organisers of the event, putting final touches to the arrangements of the pavilion with the full compliments of the officers and men of the Nigeria Police.
Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN), the Kaduna-based assemblers of Peugeot vehicles, Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and many others are expected to take their positions at the Exhibition Ground early this morning. A security helicopter was seen hovering over the vicinity Wednesday evening to ensure security.
The Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Zubairu Jibrin Magwari ll, who is also the Grand Patron of Routes and Roads Transport Company Limited, is the chief host of the event which runs through Saturday, October 7, 2017, and fully backed by NADDC in the Kaduna State capital.
The Managing Director/CEO, Routes and Roads Transport Company, Mr. Geoffrey Faasema, said all is set for the event, assuring that adequate preparations have been made for the security of both the visitors and exhibitors .
“You can see that is set here for the show to fully commence tomorrow (Thursday). It’s been quite challenging organising this after the failed attempt to hold it last year. But we are happy for the Governor’ s moral support this year as this has boosted our morale despite the fact that we do not have any sponsor. We are making a statement by going ahead with this, to tell Nigerians that the North is ready for business,” Faasema said.
IKA Germany ((IKA Industrie- und Kraftfahrzeugausrüstung GmbH) is already at the Kaduna Autoparts Expo with the GeBe range of products. The company is represented by Auto Report Africa, its Authorised GeBe Trader and Agent for Nigeria and West Africa. A leading global player in the automotive aftermarket spare parts supplies, with presence in over 70 countries across five continents, IKA Germany, had a successful outing at the just-concluded Automechanika Johannesburg, South Africa and will be rounding off its 2017 African Road Show at the Kaduna Autoparts Expo . The African Road Show of the company which is already in Kaduna follows earlier participation at the AutoExpo Kenya in April and AutoExpo Ethiopia in May.
The specialist for electrical, mechanical and electronic automotive spare parts said by bringing its 2017 African Road Show to the Kaduna Autoparts Expo in Nigeria, it intends to strengthen and deepen its good business relationships in Africa.
The company also explained that it would be using the exhibition as a platform to launch out to the northern Nigerian market with the GeBe range of products, including its newly-introduced made-in-Germany GeBe premium water pumps for a wide range of vehicles.
