The centre will be located at the LASPOTECH main campus at Ikorodu.

Rector of the polytechnic, Dr. Abdulazeez Lawal, who commended the state government for approving the project, said the centre would boost the development of the automobile industry in the country.

Lawal also thanked the NAC for selecting the polytechnic as the location for the project, which he said would afford students an access to the facilities needed to broaden their knowledge in automobile studies.

He noted that the NAC, in conjunction with the National Board for Technical Education, had earlier donated some mechatronic equipment to the polytechnic.

Director-General of the NAC, Mr. Aminu Jalal, said the test centre was being established to serve as a place for inspecting vehicle parts imported into the country.

He said Nigeria should be able to test its imported vehicle parts locally instead of spending much money on such outside the country. According to him, when the centre becomes functional, it will become a place for producing automobile parts and components in Nigeria.

Agreement was said to have been reached with NISSAN and it was hoped that the project would help in creating job opportunities for Nigerian citizens.

Special Adviser on Education to the state governor, Fatai Olukoga, who represented Governor Babatunde Fashola commended the NAC for the initiative, which he said, would “contribute immensely to automobile development in the nation at large.”