By MIKE OCHONMA
Lanre Shittu Motors (LSM) has commenced training and empowerment of auto mechanics across the country.
The intensive training programme, which started in Ekiti state in conjunction with the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), is set to move to Zamfara state and thereafter, other states of the federation.
Managing director and chief executive officer of the company, Taiwo Shittu, who disclosed this in an interview with some journalists in Lagos, recently, said it was part of efforts of the company to create jobs for the youths and alleviate poverty in the face of hardship due to the fuel subsidy removal.
He said LSM just concluded a training programme for auto technicians in conjunction with the NADDC in Ekiti state. This is a state that we have not even sold any vehicle to. We are going to other states in Nigeria to empower Nigerians.
“We don’t only train them, we pay them and give them complete set of tools to work. We decided to do this because we cannot leave everything to the government to handle. We are not looking at the business; we are interested in empowering people.”
According to him, the next phase of the training programme will be done before December in Zamfara state.
The LSM boss urged other major companies in the industry and other sectors to do a similar thing to improve the living standard of the people and develop the economy.
He also spoke on a number of other projects to be rolled out before the end of the year including electric/CNG vehicles and the launch of LSM brand of vehicles to immortalize the founder/chairman of the company, Alhaji Lanre Shittu, who passed on recently.
He said, “It’s painful to lose our chairman, Lanre Shittu; he was a visionary and a goal-getter. We all have learnt a lot from him.
“But again, he was a man we were blessed to have. At a very early age, he allowed his children in the business to run the business while he watched. In the last seven years of his life, he was not in the forefront of the business anymore. People should learn from that. You don’t know when God will come calling.
“Right now, we have the capacity to keep the business running and take it further up. And I can tell you that we have done better this year than last year in terms of sales. That is why we want to immortalise him by having a vehicle brand called LSM (Lanre Shittu Motors).”
On his part, the deputy managing director of the company, Lukman Shittu, stated that the company has re-strategised to maximize its potential in the market.
Elucidating on the point earlier stated by the MD, he said the late founder of the company was able to expose his children early enough into the business, as a result, the business is being taken to the next level by them (children) who are re-strategising and building on the legacies of their father.
