November 12, (THEWILL) – The founder of Elizade Nigeria Limited, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, is set to be honoured as a pillar of the auto industry at the 2021 edition of the annual Nigeria Auto Journalists Awards.
Other prominent personalities in the Nigerian automotive industry to be honoured by the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) at the event slated for Wednesday, December 1, 2021, are the director-general of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu; the corps marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi; and the managing director of Dana Motors, Jacky Hathiramani.
According to NAJA, the event, which will be held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, will also be used to announce Nigeria’s Car of the Year, among other industry awards.
NAJA in a statement said Chief Ade.Ojo is being honoured for his outstanding contributions to the development of Nigeria’s auto industry over the decades.
Chief Ade.Ojo has marketed and sold various auto brands like Peugeot and Volkswagen before finally settling for Toyota, a product he turned to a household name in the country. Elizade Nigeria Limited, which was incorporated in 1973 but started business in 1971 with just one supporting employee, has become a conglomerate with several subsidiaries, and a reference point in Nigeria’s auto industry.
In a similar vein, the NADDC DG and the Dana Motors MD are to be recognised as Auto Personalities of the Year.
While Jelani has been very consistent in pushing the narrative for greener automotive fuel, Hathiramani has been able to make the Kia brand a successful name in Nigeria.
Commenting on the honours, NAJA chairman, Mike Ochonma, noted that it is important to honour and recognise people who have contributed immensely to the development of the sector while alive, not when dead.
“We like to recognise people while they are still alive, which is very important so that they can also reap some rewards from their service and serve as encouragement for younger people to serve, knowing full well that when you serve, there is always recognition,” he said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the 2021 NAJA Awards committee, Theodore Opara, has said nominations are still coming in for the various categories.
He said this year’s edition has 15 other categories apart from the Car of the Year category.
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
