An estimated 10,000 applications was received less than 24 hours by Innoson Vehicle Manufacturers (IVM) following an announcement by the local assembler to employ 3000 Nigerians by the end of the year.
The astronomical surge in the number of applications received by the local auto maker forced the management to abruptly shut down the job recruitment exercise official website which was supposed to be open to prospective job seekers till April 6, 2018.
Innoson had in a statement on its official Twitter handle last Monday said the board of directors of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited approved the recruitment exercise as it plans the expansion of its factory in Nnewi, the second largest city in Anambra state.
Cornel Osigwe, Head Corporate Communications, Innoson group, said during a telephone chat with BusinessDay on Tuesday disclosed that that the first batch of new intake will see the employment of 1007 workers in April 2018.
The company listed positions needed as follows welding engineers, automotive painters, plasterers and auto electricians. Other job vacancies exist for mechanical engineers, administration, account and public relations and quality control officers including marketing executives.
According to the image maker of Innoson group, in order to contribute towards the success of Nigeria’s automotive industrial development agenda, the company has also acquired 100,000 square meters of land on the outskirts of Owerri, the Imo State capital near the airport.
He stated that as part of it expansion drive which will facilitate the creation of thousands of skilled and unskilled jobs in the state and its environs, the Innoson auto assembly plant in Owerri will have the capacity to assemble 60,000 vehicles a year.
In an email sent to our reporter on Tuesday, Luqman Mamudu, retired director in charge of policy and planning said that the automotive policy was designed to anticipate such expansion and a program for support is inbuilt in the relationship between NADDC and BOI.
According to him, “There is no better evidence than this that the Nigerian automotive program is working. Innoson has enjoyed considerable patronage as it continuously improves on quality. This employment is one of the automotive program objectives. The good thing is that innoson operates at the CKD level. Others plants are poised to follow. The industry will experience upsurge in demand by the time the automotive credit purchase scheme is realized.’’
Recall that early this year, the Nigerian Army went into partnership with IVM to conceptualize, design, modify and produce armoured fighting vehicles and other military hardware.
At a meeting between Tukur Buratai, the chief of army staff, and Innocent Chukwuma, chairman and chief executive of Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Company Limited, the army chief said that the essence of the meeting was to further formalize the business relationship between the Nigerian Army and IVM. The Army acquired over 70 more variants of the Innoson vehicles which were deployed in the North East for Operation Lafiya Dole.
Other specific areas of partnership between the Nigerian Army and the company include; immediate supply 100 vehicles, supply of appropriate gears, engines and chassis required for immediate modifications and repairs of armoured fighting vehicles in the North East Theatre of Operations.
In 2016, Innoson signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Air Force for the development and promotion of joint activities to sustain the maintenance of the Nigerian Air Force Air Assets and other associated Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) to enable the Nigerian Air Force to continuously carry out its constitutional obligations to the nation.
MIKE OCHONMA
