The Amalgamated Union of Motor Mechanics and Technicians of Nigeria (AUOMMATON) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to direct the Bank of Industry (BOI) to expedite loan releases to support artisans nationwide.
The union's National President, Dr Oseni Suleiman, made the appeal at its 2026 National Symposium on the War Against Fake Automobile Spare Parts and Adulterated Lubricants on Tuesday in Abuja.
Suleiman said the loans would improve the working conditions, technical capacity and economic well-being of mechanics and other artisans.
Start tomorrow informed
Save your place for the morning brief. We’ll start emailing when delivery goes live.
Free. Confirm by email. Unsubscribe anytime.
He said the union had earlier written to the President on the matter but was renewing its appeal through the symposium.
“We specially appeal to President Bola Tinubu to please direct the Bank of Industry to hasten the release of the loan we applied for, to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerian artisans.
“Letters concerning this matter had been addressed to His Excellency before now. We are equally reminding him now,” he said.
The union president also appealed to the Federal Government to provide three Hilux vans, a Hummer bus and a permanent office complex in Abuja to strengthen its operations.
He said the proposed Nigerian Artisan House would provide a centre for artisans to exchange ideas and develop strategies for improving their skills.
Suleiman also sought the deployment of armed police personnel to support the union’s campaign against counterfeit automobile spare parts and adulterated lubricants.
He said counterfeit products damaged vehicle engines, caused accidents, harmed the environment and undermined the efforts of genuine technicians.
He said the union, with about 14 million members nationwide, was committed to promoting professionalism, technical training and ethical practices in the automotive sector.
Suleiman disclosed that the union had embarked on capacity-building programmes, documentation and identification of members, as well as collaborations with regulatory agencies to improve accountability and enforcement.
He said the union had partnered with NOGALSS National Apex Cooperative Society Ltd. to establish the National Automotive Empowerment Drive.
According to him, the initiative is designed to provide members with access to financing, automotive tools and equipment, workshop modernisation, technical advancement and business development opportunities.
Earlier, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammadu Dingyadi, urged the union to comply with its constitution and statutory obligations to ensure stability and effective administration.
Dingyadi, represented by the Registrar of Trade Unions, Rabiu Suhaibu, also advised the union to promote unity and peaceful resolution of internal disputes.
He urged its leadership to ensure inclusive administration and adherence to the union’s constitution, saying these were essential for stability and progress.
The minister commended the union for promoting industrial peace and harmony, describing these as important to membership expansion, financial stability and investment opportunities.
Also speaking, the President of NOGALSS, Comrade Noah Emmanuel, said the partnership with AUOMMATON would connect mechanics, technicians, workshop operators, spare parts dealers and lubricant distributors to financing and other economic opportunities.
He said the partnership would operate through NOGALSS’s digital national economic ecosystem, which connects associations, cooperative businesses and individuals to capital, productive assets, investors, markets and technology.
Emmanuel said the initiative would provide eligible union members with business expansion financing ranging from N1 million to N10 million.
He explained that the facility was not intended for start-ups but for established businesses with at least two years of operations, verifiable business activities, demonstrable turnover and credible records.
He appealed to the union to present 1,000 members for the first phase of the initiative.
The Chairman of the Occasion, Aminu Jalal, described counterfeit spare parts and substandard lubricants as threats to road safety, vehicle owners and the national economy.
Jalal, a former official of the National Automotive Council, said counterfeit products could fail prematurely, increase vehicle maintenance costs and cause accidents.
He urged AUOMMATON to collaborate with the council to organise training programmes to equip mechanics with skills to identify fake and substandard automotive products.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the symposium, themed “Enough is Enough”, brought together technicians, policymakers, regulators and other stakeholders to discuss measures to tackle counterfeit automotive products.
Discussion0