Excitement as race for 2023 NAJA Auto Awards begins

Excitement as race for 2023 NAJA Auto Awards begins

The Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) has announced Thursday, December 14, 2023 for this year’s NAJA Auto Awards.

The event is billed to hold at the prestigious Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, according to a statement from the organisers.

NAJA at the annual awards celebrates outstanding players in the Nigerian auto industry, acknowledging their marketing achievements in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets.

Winners in various categories who will be announced at the event are determined by seasoned auto journalists in the country, the statement added.

Speaking on the awards, Chairman of the 2023 Award Planning Committee, Rasheed Bisiriyu, said the awards would honour franchise new-car dealers for their exceptional business performance as well as indigenous automakers/ assembers for their efforts in helping to develop the local auto industry.

He said a panel composed of prominent auto editors and other top journalists in the industry are currently sifting through the list of nominees with their performance over the year to decide the eventual winners in various categories.

He said, “The award programme emphasises the significant contributions dealers/entrepreneurs make in positioning their brands for acceptability, especially in the area of after-sale service.”

“While the industry is recovering, many buyers are tightening their belts; so when it comes to new cars, affordability and low maintenance costs are more important than ever. The Awards reflect that.

“But it doesn’t mean that cheap cars get an easy pass. As in the past years, our category winners need to be the best across board. There is a huge amount of talents on the show this year, and our expert judges will work until the 11th hour to decide the worthy winners,” he added.

Also commenting on the forthcoming awards, Chairman of NAJA, Mike Ochonma, expressed appreciation to all the stakeholders who had over the years been supportive of all NAJA activities.

On the awards, he said, “Our highly experienced team will choose the categories based on the kind of cars that the public are buying, then put their heads together to settle for the very best car in each of the categories.”

He explained that the award is to keep encouraging excellence and celebrating the best and the brightest of the stakeholders, their products and services in the country.

“NAJA Auto Awards are a prestigious programme that recognises and celebrates the achievements of the best and brightest in this industry, from suppliers to dealers and service providers,” he added.