By Moses Akaigwe
All the 21 automotive training centres being established in all parts of Nigeria by the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) will feature a range of state-of-the-art equipment, tools and modules.
This was disclosed by Obiora Nweke, Chief Executive Officer of CTS Automotive, the firm partnering with the NADDC to equip the centres sited in all zones of the country.
Nweke, who spoke after the inauguration of the first of the 21 centres in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, recently, said the machines in the Ekiti State capital and those to be installed in the other locations meet international standards.
He described them as state-of-the-art equipment manufactured in line with German industrial norms.
It was learnt that the equipment and tools were necessary requirements that will enable the Automotive Training Centres fulfill the NADDC’s key mandate of promoting auto-engineering training, skills acquisition and capacity building in the auto industry in Nigeria.
The list of the equipment and tools CTS Automotive supplied to the Ado-Ekiti centre as seen during the commissioning ceremony include digital break testing equipment; four-post lift; two-post lift; scissor lift; and professional mechanic tool boxes.
Also at the Ado-Ekiti centre are professional electronic tool boxes; fuel injection repair set; engine service full repair kits; diagnostic machine; oil service kits; tyre service machines; wheel balancing machines; headlamp setting machine; car air-conditioner service system; and oil services machine.
The centre equally boasts complete automotive didactic training units for theoretical training with simulations for various faults and repair issues in all cars, and many more equipment.
The CTS Automotive CEO confirmed that the same equipment and tools are being made available in all the other Automotive Centre workshops nationwide, including the FCT, and in phases – starting with 10.
“These are mainly high-tech German products through our representative portfolio,” the CTS Automotive CEO, remarked, stating that the products are of different brands.
Nweke also assured that a maintenance and service package is in the offing, in order to ensure that the machines operate optimally and are always in good condition.
On the mandate of training, he stated, “The training is designed through the NBTE (National Board for Technical Education) and German technical vocational training programme.
“The approach is for theoretical,practical and commercial purposes.The institute should sustain itself through the commercial workshop for mechatronic services.”
Guests at the commissioning ceremony performed by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, on Thursday, May 26, in Ado-Ekiti, were informed that the concept of Automotive Training Centre was among the key interventions of the NADDC in addressing the dearth of skills in the auto sector.
The Director General of the Council, Jelani Aliyu, had explained at the event that the centres are being built to encourage the use of standardised automotive workshops and garages for modern training delivery and maintenance of motor vehicles nationwide.
Hinting that the 21 automotive centers are also expected to generate revenue, Aliyu said,
‘The NADDC is statutorily charged with the responsibility of ensuring sustainable development of the automotive industry in Nigeria using local human and material resources. To achieve this mandate, the Council has been promoting auto-engineering training, skills acquisition and capacity building in the auto industry in Nigeria…
“In line with the Council’s mandate to promote skills development in the auto industry, Council constructed 21 training centres that cover the six geo-political zones. They are in Kogi, Bauchi, Enugu, Osun, Yobe, Gombe, Zamfara, Lagos, Jigawa, Akwa-Ibom, Plateau, Kano, Kastina, Kebbi, Ebonyi, Niger, Anambra, Abia, Ogun, Sokoto and Ekiti state.