News: Speed Limiting Device Vendors Can Create 2M Jobs - Vendors

The Chairman of Association of Accredited Speed Limiters Vendors in Nigeria, Alhaji Ibrahim Askirama, has disclosed that over two million jobs can be created by companies dealing on vehicle speed limiting device in the country in the next two years.

Alhaji Askirama, who is also the Managing Director of Total Unique Services Limited, one of the accredited vendors for the distribution and installation of speed limiter in the country said that apart from saving lives, the introduction of speed limiters could help in creating jobs for the unemployed youths in the country.

The speed limiter vendors boss, who spoke to Vanguard Motoring in Abuja shortly before the take off of advisory enforcement of speed limiting device by the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, said that his company alone had opened offices in 19 states of the federation and trained many young Nigerians on how to install speed-limiting device in vehicles.

He disclosed that before most of their members ventured into vehicle speed limiting device business, some of them were into car tracking and software development business.

According to him, his company alone, Total Unique Services Limited, was targeting creating of 50,000 jobs for the unemployed youths in the country.

“When we started Total Unique Services, we were only seven engineers and we went to the road side mechanics, picked electrical engineers, technical graduates from universities, brought them to our company and trained them on how to install the device,” he said.

So far, he said, his company had trained 10 engineers from every state.

“We train them, licence them so that when there is problem, we can be contacted. This was the reason why we came together to guarantee standard and regularised by FRSC,” he said.

Explaining the quality of speed limiter being installed by his members, Alhaji Askirama noted that they were mainly from European countries like United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, adding that with time most of the suppliers could set up plants in Nigeria.

According to him, the search for vehicle speed-limiting device that meets FRSC specification was not easy as it took them to many countries.

He said: “My search for standard speed-limiting device took my company to Kenya, a country that had used the device in Africa. But unfortunately, when we brought speed governor from Kenya, it did not meet the FRSC standard.

“The speed limiter from Kenya was rejected by FRSC because in the case of accident, information could not be retrieved. We later went to India and their speed limiter made by Ecogas too did not meet FRSC standard. FRSC had insisted on speed limiter that can save information, print information through text messages or PDF. This made us to go to Italy where we got what they wanted a speed limiter that can print, said information and has in-built printer. It can even track the vehicle. Even in the event of an accident the device could indicate if the vehicle was over speeding.

It is like a black box in an aircraft. We were directed to submit our speed limiters to Federal Road Safety Corps, Standard Orgnisation of Nigeria, SON, National Automative Design and Development Council, and Nigeria Society of Engineers, who would certify the standard of the device before it would be certified for use.”

Mr. Askirama, however, noted that the prices of the speed limiters vary as some come with tracker starting from N35,000. But he said that the prices could come down drastically if they can access dollar at official rate.

According to him, “We have told the Corps Marshal that if they want the price of speed limiter to drop, they should allow us to source dollar at official rate. We will install at the price we import”.

Also, he said that the customs duty paid on the device is high at 35% and argued that since it is a life-saving device, the government should grant them waivers so as to make it available at very low price.

The Chairman, who also spoke on the spider technology, said that there is nothing called spider technology, arguing that it was a coinage of a petitioner to the National Assembly.

“He said, “The petitioner, probably wanted to say that there is a technology you can install that can pick the speed of the vehicle. But the question is, how do you trace the offender. The cameras use light, so when there is no light how do you pick the speed?

Have you thought about vandalisation, and the fact that some people will remove the camera and install it in their home. This is a country where railway cables and telecom cables are dug out by vandals. How good are our roads?

Source: Vanguard