Joseph Onuora, a Labour Party supporter and good governance exponent, has criticised Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state for not patronising Innoson Motors.
The governor had gifted some cars to the Enugu police command recently as part of efforts to combat insecurity in the state.
Each car brand was Hyundai, vehicles made by a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer.
Onuorah frowned at the governor’s action, noting that he could have patronised Nigerian manufacturer Innoson Motors, makers of IVM Vehicles.
He wrote on Twitter:
“You see why investors may not be attracted to some states in the long run. Innoson has a manufacturing facility in Enugu, creating jobs and paying taxes.
“Enugu state government, headed by the interim governor, wants to buy cars for security agencies, ignores local content and buys from Korean business Hyundai.
“Tomorrow you say the youths are jobless and into crime. Local companies that will employ them en masse are not getting government patronage.
“Infact, the government is killing them indirectly by funding the competition. I hope they have a very superior reason for this because it’s all shades of wrong.”
Azuka Emmanuel, a computer technician, says its the norm by various governments in recent times.
“This is not the first time government, both the federal and state level, will ignore local manufacturers and go abroad to import even when they can get these things locally. It’s simple; contracts will be awarded at huge sums to bring them from abroad. And the returns will be higher,” he wrote.
Adeniyi Wahab alleges that the governor has embarked on a fraudulent venture.
“The man knows what his doing; if he buys the car here, it will be difficult for him to inflate the amount he spent on the car because people will know the cost of each car,” he stated.
Founded in 2007, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited is a Nigerian automobile manufacturer headquartered in neighbouring Anambra state.
Chief Innocent Chukwuma Nwala, an Anambra-born businessman, founded it.
The Nigerian Military, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Anambra State Government and the Sierra Leonean Government regularly patronise Innoson.
