Automobile dealers at the popular Berger Automobile market are not finding it easy at the moment as the bad state of the road has crippled businesses in the market.
The market has gradually turned into a mere refuse dump as truck drivers and their motor boys who spent days on the road have converted to the once smooth and good road into their toilets and refuse dumps.
This is certainly affecting automobile dealers and agents plying their business at Africa’s biggest automobile market.
Some of the agents who spoke to Shipping Position Daily said that although business has been moving slowly before now in terms of sales, but the bad state of the road has made things worst.
One of the agents, who simply identified himself as Nonso Dike-Ike, said that for the past seven months, there have not been sales.
He said that most of the people who are selling now are the ones who deal mostly on smaller vehicles.
"Things are really hard here; there have not been sales for the past 6 to 7months now. The car I kept here ‘Honda Crosstor’ since last year I have not seen a buyer. It is not only me, there are so many other people who are passing though the same thing here. We have been complaining of the economy now, it is harder with the bad state of the road. Most buyers will like to go to places like Ikeja or Festac to buy instead of coming here. It is really very bad"
Another agent, Mr. John Iyidieze, said that there have been sales mostly for people who deal if smaller vehicles like Toyota.
"Dealers of smaller vehicles like Toyota are the people enjoying now because they still have customers like that. People who would like to but bigger vehicles will prefer to go to shops than here because of the bad road. People now prefer to go to Shops like in FESTAC and Ikeja to do their purchases because of the bad roads here. It is not just roads coupled with the traffic here; there is no big man that will like to buy all these big exotic vehicles that will think of coming here because of the road. Most of them will like where they will drive their vehicles home at ease without having to go through a serious traffic and they cannot find it here”, he lamented.
He also appealed to the government to look for a away to help them out of the situation by ensuring that the roads are fixed, even as he lamented that truck drivers are messing the whole place up.
“Some of these truck drivers who have been on the queue for a long time now mess this place up. Some of them defecates here and does all manner of things here. All we are asking for is for the government to find a way to bring all these to an end so that our businesses will start moving again” he concluded.
Discussion about this post