An automobile dealer at the popular automobile market, Berger automobile market, Mr. James Brown Nwaokuke, has given reasons the demand for commercial buses are more in January than other months.
In a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos, the chairman dealers of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria said that they sell mostly buses in January because many people would like to change their line of business and some may want to go into transportation and such decisions come especially in the beginning of the year.
Mr Nwaokuke, said that, the high sales of commercial buses in the market normally run from January till around March before other brands of vehicles start selling.
He condemned the on-going e-auction of seized vehicles by the Nigeria Customs Service, saying that the association which is supposed to have a good information about the ongoing sales, only got to know about that through the pages of the newspapers.
“Business has been very dull; you know we normally sell more of other types of vehicles between September till December, in January most of the cars we sell here are commercial buses for those looking for vehicles for transportation. You know at the end of every year people plan for their new year. If you watch here now you will see car everywhere but you will hardly see buyers. Like if you go to those parks that sell buses they sell more between January and March ;that is how it goes, some people are buying for their brothers to start a new business or parents or even for themselves to go into a new trade”, he explained.
Mr Nwaokuke also accused the Nigeria Customs Service of not making the platform for the e-auction accessible, he alleged that it is only accessible to people they know even as he reiterated the commitment of the association to ensure the vehicles that didn’t pay their complete duty don’t come to the Berger parks.
“Talking about the e-auction you know, we don’t even know much about them, we don’t even go for them because before they announce that they are selling they must have already sold to the people they feel that will buy. But in as much as they still sell, we don’t deal with any vehicles that do not pay their duties here in Berger. We only read or hear about the auctions on the pages of the newspapers”, he added.
He also advised the federal government on the need to open land borders, stressing that by closing the borders government is encouraging fraudulent Nigerians to go into the business.
“But I want to ask a question, with the way things are going can a country survive by closing the land borders. People transact, pay their normal duty, come into their market and sell. When they close the borders they are encouraging those that are fraudulent to manoeuvre their ways and sell because customs themselves compromise’’
When you talk about land borders we know what it means. At the same time there are poor Nigerians who cannot afford all these vehicles when it comes through the seaports. But when you at Cotonou most of them are cheaper. So when you bring it in, you pay your duty and go into the market and sell. But here, most of us will buy from someone in America and you will continue to pay until it gets here. You see, not bringing in vehicles through the is affecting us because for you to make gain here you have to look for damaged vehicles. When it comes you will start repairing it and at the end of the day you will sell to your brother. But if it is through the land borders you will sell it as they are and I want to tell you something most of the big shots are still bring importing vehicles through the land borders”, he concluded.
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