In a recent interview on Arise TV, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, the Chairman of Innoson Motors, came to the defense of Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State, regarding the procurement of 20 Toyota Hilux vehicles for security operations.
Chukwuma highlighted their long-standing business relationship and Otti’s substantial history of patronizing Innoson Motors.
Chukwuma spoke highly of Otti’s role as one of the brand’s valued customers, emphasizing that the governor had been using Innoson vehicles even before assuming his current governorship position. The chairman revealed that Otti had consistently commended the performance of Innoson vehicles over the years, underscoring their quality and reliability.
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The story took an interesting turn when Otti placed an order for a significant number of vehicles, intended for his commissioners and himself. However, faced with a pressing need for immediate security pickups, Chukwuma candidly shared the practical limitations of Innoson’s production capacity. He explained that the vehicles Otti requested would be ready in 14 days, a timeframe that did not align with the governor’s urgent requirements.
In light of the situation, Chukwuma advised Otti to explore alternatives among brands that could provide the required vehicles on short notice. He praised the governor’s proactive stance in ensuring the functionality of his security operations, even if it meant temporarily seeking vehicles from other sources.
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He said, “Alex Otti is one of my best customers even before the governorship. He has been using my vehicles for years and he always commends the performance of my vehicles. So, this time, he requested so many vehicles from me, both for his commissioners, and even for himself.
“I told him the pickup would be in the next 14 days and he said he needed the security pickup immediately. I told him that mine would only be ready in 14 days’ time because I had so many orders at hand. I finally advised that he can get it from any brand since mine would not be ready in such short notice.
Chukwuma clarified that Otti’s decision to source 20 vehicles from an external brand in no way affected their professional relationship. He stressed that Otti’s long-standing loyalty to Innoson, with 80% of his vehicle needs to be fulfilled by the company, remained a significant testament to their collaboration.
Additionally, Chukwuma demystified Innoson’s manufacturing process, highlighting that the company operates on a manufacturing-to-order basis rather than stockpiling vehicles. He affirmed the company’s substantial manufacturing capacity, capable of producing around 30,000 units annually.
“Buying 20 vehicles outside the ones he buys from me is no problem. He has bought 80% of his needs from me. Its not bad that he took some from any other place to make sure his security is working. He is one of my best customers and I’m not against what he did.
“We are doing manufacturing and not importation and We manufacture according to order. Somebody who gives you an order of a hundred vehicles and you promised to deliver in 14 days, I don’t think that the time is so much.
“If you produce so much and keep, you will not see where to pack the vehicles. These were security vehicles that he needed immediately. You don’t know how his state is, so that’s why encouraged him that if he can’t wait, he can go ahead with anyone. We don’t produce much and keep because if we keep, many would say you gave them a second-hand vehicle.
“My factory has capacity to produce according to the orders we have. We have the capacity to produce about 30,000 units in a year”
