CNG vehicles: Innoson named Silverbird Manufacturer of the Year

CNG vehicles: Innoson named Silverbird Manufacturer of the Year 

Chief Innocent Chukwuma, founder and Chairman of Innoson Group of Companies, owners of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Ltd (IVM), has bagged the Manufacturer of the Year prize at Silverbird Man of the Year Awards 2023.

The award was bestowed on him in Lagos for his feat of being the first automaker in Nigeria to commence the manufacture of a range of vehicles running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

This came about two weeks after receiving The Sun Awards highest honour of Man of the Year.

The organisers of both awards – The Sun Publishing Ltd and the Silverbird Group – said they took into consideration the fact that Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Ltd commenced the manufacture of sundry CNG-powered buses and other vehicles two years ahead of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government on May 29, 2023.

The Sun and Silverbird noted that the foresight as well as the ability to assess and take risks exhibited by the IVM management in venturing into the production of CNG vehicles was commendable.

The Silverbird Manufacturer of the Year award was presented to the General Manager, Sales & Marketing, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co. Ltd, Nnewi, Mr. Obum Osigwe, who represented Dr. Chukwuma at the colourful ceremony held in Lagos on Sunday, March 3, 2024. Speaking after receiving the award, Osigwe said the award would encourage Innoson to intensify its efforts towards manufacturing sundry top quality vehicles as needed by the auto market in Nigeria.

The Innoson GM said, “On behalf of my boss and Chairman Chief Dr Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma CON, I wholeheartedly accept this prestigious award of the Manufacturer of the Year. “We are grateful for this honour and we would keep doing our best for our dear nation, Nigeria.

“I would like to thank the Chairman of Silverbird Group, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, the management and staff of the Silverbird Group for this honour.

“This award will spur us at Innoson Vehicles to do more and increase our effort in making vehicles Nigeria and the world will be proud of.

“Thank you for shedding light on the activities of manufacturers in Nigeria. We are immensely grateful because without you, Nigerians won’t know our toils and travails in the manufacturing sector.

“Thank you so much and God bless our nation Nigeria.”

The Innoson team to the Silverbird Award included Charles Chukwuma, Ben Okoye, Francis Nwose, Joseph Okeke, and a Sales Representative, Onyinye Okeke.

Chukwuma started the production of CNG vehicles about two years before subsidy on fuel was removed and CNG became the preferred and popular alternative to petrol and diesel.

As of May 29, 2023 when the Federal Government declared that subsidy was gone, Innoson had about 100 units of sundry CNG vehicles on its premises in Nnewi, Anambra State in addition to those already delivered to customers in some parts of the country.

Moreover, Innoson was said to have demonstrated long ago that it has the capacity and facility to convert vehicles currently running on petrol and diesel to CNG, even though the service was restricted to IVM customers.

A statement from the automaker said it had embarked on the construction of a much bigger multi-billion naira IVM plant annex covering about 300 plots of land in Nnewi.

This, it said, would likely be commissioned before the end of the first quarter of 2024 (March) to concentrate on manufacturing autogas vehicles.

A video presentation at the Silverbird event informed the guests that with just a startup capital of N20,000, the young Innocent Chukwuma started his own business.

“What began with motorcycle spare parts retailing has four decades later grown into the leading proponent of made-in-Nigeria products and one of its biggest industrial success stories

“1995, Innoson Nigeria established a fully automated motorcycle assembly plant in Anambra State, becoming the first fully indigenous motorcycle maker in Nigeria.

“In the same year, the group launched Innoson Technical and Industrial Limited, the biggest Plastic manufacturing plant in Nigeria with over 150 product lines.in 2007 , Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing was birthed out of a desire to produce affordable, reliable, and durable vehicles that can compete with international car brands

“IVM Innoson has become a household name in Nigeria’s automobile industry, producing a range of innovative and robust vehicles that cater to the needs of the masses..

”According to the presentation, Innoson stands apart from other car manufacturers because of its focus on local content development.

“The company has invested heavily in research and development to design and manufacture vehicles that are tailored to Nigeria’s terrain, climate, and culture.

“Currently, Innoson employs over 7,000 people, most of them Nigerian youths, thereby providing jobs and income opportunities for the masses.”

Innoson’s success has not gone unnoticed. He was made honorary Life Vice president of the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture on 23rd of November, 2013.

Innocent is also a grand fellow of Nigerian Institute of Strategic Management.

He currently sits on the board of IVM Innoson Group of Companies and is a member of Manufacturer Association of Nigeria.

He also serves as a Chancellor at Imo State University, Owerri. Chukwuma who incidentally holds a honorary doctoral degree in Business Administration from the University of Nigeria, has won many awards including Auto Personality of the Year, Most Innovative Entrepreneur; Professor Barth Nnaji Prize for Technology at Igbo Awards, amongst many others.

For his years of excellent service to the nation, he was also conferred with the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR) by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

Chukwuma is married to Josephine and they are blessed with three lovely children.

Chukwuma is the Silverbird recipient of the Manufacturer of the Year Award.One of the high points of the Silverbird Awards was the display of two outstanding Innoson vehicles at the entrance to the venue: IVM Caris sedan, and IVM De Imperial pick-up.De Imperial pick-up is one of the newest additions to the fast growing Innoson vehicle line-up.