Nigeria Launches First Locally Produced Motorcycle

Nigeria has recorded a feat with
the recent launch of a locally
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&D) 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.