The Federal Government has instituted a stringent enforcement framework under the Nigeria First Policy, directing all ministries, departments, and agencies to procure project utility vehicles and official fleets exclusively from licensed local assembly plants or their authorized retailers.
Speaking in Abuja, the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, disclosed that domestic assembly facilities currently possess an installed production capacity of 370,520 vehicles annually. Osanipin stated that anchoring government purchasing power in domestic manufacturing will stimulate local component production, curb capital flight through unnecessary imports, and generate sustainable industrial employment.
Under the updated implementation guidelines, any government agency seeking to acquire a foreign-assembled vehicle must explicitly demonstrate the complete absence of a domestic alternative and secure direct presidential clearance before proceeding. Furthermore, every unit supplied to public institutions must feature a traceable Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) verified directly through the NADDC register. Osanipin warned that any supply arrangement operating outside licensed local manufacturing lines would attract immediate regulatory sanctions, including outright blacklisting and license revocation.
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) backed the directive, emphasizing that the initiative has transitioned from rhetoric into active institutional implementation following extensive stakeholder consultations with local automotive builders. BPP Director-General Adebowale Adedokun urged domestic assemblers to aggressively upgrade their technological capabilities, maintain rigorous quality control standards, and expand comprehensive after-sales maintenance services. Adedokun cautioned that substandard vehicle quality, poor maintenance support, or regulatory violations would invite severe statutory penalties, including commercial debarment from public contracts.
