By Theodore Opara

Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL) has said that it is working with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to arrest the incidents of roads mishap involving mini buses on the highways. The FRSC sometime ago identified mini-buses as accounting for highest accident rates in the country.

Executive Director, Toyota Nigeria Limited, Mr. Kunle Ade-Ojo who spoke to the press at the just concluded Abuja Motor show noted that Toyota is working with the FRSC with a view to arresting the situation.

According to the executive director, people usually mistook every mini-bus in the category of Toyota Hiace to be  a Toyota brand, adding that the Hiace is one of the safest vehicles in its class with array of features, including anti-lock braking system (ABS) as a standard safety feature.

He noted that as a responsible corporate organization, Toyota Nigeria Ltd would not join issues with the Federal Road Safety Corps which it holds in very high esteem, rather, they would work together toward finding lasting solutions to the problems.

Mr. Kunle Ade-Ojo however attributed major causes of the accidents to human errors. “If you look at some of the accidents, they are usually head-on collisions which could have resulted from the state of the road and poor judgement by the drivers,” he stated.

Commenting on the new government auto policy which encourages automobile companies to set up assembly plants in Nigeria, the executive director noted that Toyota Nigeria Limited will support the policy but is still carrying out feasibility studies on the possibility of setting up a Toyota plant in the country.

According to him, “Toyota Nigeria welcomes the new policy and is studying the feasibility of setting up a plant in Nigeria in the near future.”

He explained that automobile production is not an easy task as it entails a lot of work and huge  investment, hence, they are discussing with the National Automobile Council (NAC) on how to make it work effectively.

He identified the issues of infrastructure such as road, power etc, as some of the challenges that the auto assembler will have to overcome in their effort to assemble vehicles locally.

Meanwhile, the managing director, Toyota Nigeria Limited, Mr. Chandrasheker Krishnadas Thampy, has explained that the desire to expose Toyota dealer technicians to world-class technical know-how and excellent after sales experience in automobile maintenance, informed the introduction of Toyota national skills contest.

Mr. Krishnadas Thampy made this known recently when five Toyota technicians qualified for the final round of the 2013 national skills contest slated for this  month.

According to the him, the national contest aims at continually availing their customers,with excellent after-sales experience in the business so as to keep customers’ cars in best conditions at all times.