- Popular singer, Seun Kuti, in a video, said Innoson doesn’t manufacture its cars but only assembles
- This prompted reactions from Nigerians
- Some criticised him for his ignorance, some supported him, while others just attributed his comment to substance use
Nigerian musician, Seun Kuti, has sparked controversy with his remarks about Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM), the country's top automobile manufacturer.
What Seun Kuti said
Kuti claimed that Innoson cars are not manufactured in Nigeria but merely assembled from imported parts. He said in a video:
“…They will say no, I should buy Innoson, saying Innoson is a Nigerian made car. Innoson is an assembly plant. We have had those in Nigeria, Volkswagen had an assembly plant. Innoson gets its license from Nissan. Nigeria does not manufacture steel, or bolt and screws.
“How dare you say you have a made-in-Nigeria car, you have a car assembled in Nigeria. It is made in Japan. You want to manufacture a car, and you cannot refine petrol, you cannot feed yourself in your country, you cannot make enough food to eat, you cannot even refine the crude oil you have, you have to call for donations from all over the world for one billionaire, it was a global effort for one billionaire to build one refinery that we can’t even see the impact in our lives.”
This statement has garnered criticism and some insults from netizens.
While some critics lambasted Kuti for seemingly undermining a homegrown business, others took the opportunity to educate him on the global automotive industry's practices.
They pointed out that many renowned car brands outsource parts and components, which are then assembled in their respective countries.
Nigerians criticise and insult Seun Kuti for Innoson comment
Here are some of the comments from Nigerians on the matter.
@GREATEST_007 posted: “Innoson Motors engages in both the manufacturing of car parts and the assembly of vehicles. This practice is common in the automotive industry all over the world. Locally produced parts are battery, plastic components, seats & body (chassis & other structural components).”
@Jojo_Amandy posted: “ME: Define manufacture. Even Toyota outsourcing some of their parts production. Not all car components are exclusively manufactured by Toyota. Not any car manufacturer does so.”
@IroegbuNeroneco posted: “Musician dey act like he’s an oracle of knowledge in regards to manufacturing!”
Lameenkolos posted: “Say NO to drugs”
@kennethgrowth posted: “Sometimes, I wonder how many wraps of blunt this guy consumes before he turns on his camera.”
@Balatic posted: “Used one minute to talk about 20 different topics without making a valid point in any of them.”
@ViktorEdeh posted: “This fellow knows nothing about outsourcing or various other project management models available to companies since no one company produces all that it needs but chose to be yapping rubbish in a loud voice…as if the person who planted and harvested the marijuana also manufactured the rizzler and lighter to earner the name dealer.”
@Mayor_of_Nkanu posted: “I no blame seun, na innoson I blame, innoson should have proper marketing teams, their website should be handled properly. To promote their brand & let ppl knw what really happens in the it's factory, almost all Nigerians celebs are suppose to have had a tour of the factory.”
@EbukaOfficiall posted: “Seun Kuti should first know the meaning of Manufacturing and then do a proper investigation before blabing online, of course Inosen just like the rest of Big car manufacturers like Toyota, Hyundai, Honda and the rest. He manufactures all his Vehicles in his Manufacturing company.”
@Chisq4impact posted: “This guy is really unfamiliar with what it means to make cars or anything. Firstly, Nigeria produces a lot of bolts etc. Steel imports is mostly the sheets but once the sheets are procured, fabricators take over. It’s still manufacturing (Car not Steel). Innoson manufactures cars.”
@POeyeglass posted: “So a person that buys and put all ingredients in a pot to make a soup is not a cook?????? According to you because they didn’t plant the ingredients smh.”
@gozikaomezi posted: “Na drugs, no car manufacturer in the world builds a car with 100% internal parts. Even Apple, which is the largest company in the world, gets its phone screens from Samsung and LG and gets camera components from the likes of Sony.”
What people are saying about Davido’s new social media app Chatter
Meanwhile, TheRadar had reported that Nigerian Afrobeats singer David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, launched a new social media app for content creators.
Via his official X account on June 11, the artiste announced the launch of the app, Chatter, which marked his second attempt to venture into tech.