NEW LOGO DESIGN: Innoson says adopting a new logo now will be too costly

Dr. Chukwuma, Mr. Osuolale and the Proposed New Logo

Almost four (4) months after a Twitter user, Farouq Osuolale proposed a new logo for Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Limited which went viral at that time, the company's Chairman and CEO, Dr. Innocent Chukwuma has given reasons why the new logo will not be adopted now.

In a statement released by Mr. Osuolale via his LinkedIn account, he recounts his meeting with Dr. Chukwuma which was held on January 30, 2020 at the chairman's Nnewi residence in Anambra state.

According to him, "The meeting started at a good pace. We talked, laughed, and the chairman commended me for a job well done on the logo. However, he mentioned that he won't be using the logo now."

Innoson Granite

"He explained that this is because a rebrand is going to be a costly project for a manufacturing company like Innoson."

Mr. Osuolale says he agrees with the assessment made by Innoson's CEO based upon the factors that they discussed. According to his statement, "A rebrand will surely be of significant effect and can only be done if a specific target can be met."

While he doesn't clearly state what this "target" is, it is clear from his statement that it refers to sales target, because he went ahead to say that "this is why the company (Innoson) needs every Nigerian's support".

In addition to being "well compensated" by the company, the now popular branding icon says he was also offered a position with the company "whenever a new project takes place".

Currently, while Innoson is a major supplier of military trucks to the Nigerian Army, patrol trucks to paramilitary agencies such as the police, FRSC, NSCDC, etc, and special-order vehicles by some state government and Federal Government agencies, the company is seemingly not enjoying patronage from individual Nigerians.

While some Nigerians have complained about the poor aesthetic designs of some of the models, others have complained about the high cost of purchasing an Innoson. The cheapest Innoson sedan is rumored to cost about N3.5 million (a little more, or a little less than that amount).

Innoson Ikenga

However, with the release of newer models such as the Innoson Ikenga and the Innoson Granite, the company appears to be making a pretty loud statement on the issue of design.

But, while the issue of pricing remains largely there, the strength of Innoson products remain widely attested to, confirming the company's vision for its products to be "The Pride of African Roads".

Just recently, there were news reports which said that members of Nigeria's National Assembly rejected a proposition by one of its members for Innoson SUVs to be purchased as official cars for all members.

Over the years, Nigeria's political class has been criticized for paying lip-service to the implementation of the country's local content policy. And this is yet another example where those who should be leading from the front to implement the policy, are actually sabotaging it.


Chukwubuikem Paul Anunaso is a civil/structural engineer. He is also the editor of The Paul Anunaso Blog, and can be reached at anunaso.cp@gmail.com.