• “They are all liars”—Berger Market President
Few weeks after the Federal Operating Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service raided the Berger automobile market, in search of questionable vehicles, dealers in the largest automobile market in West Africa have accused leaders of the market of betrayal, selfishness and working against the interest of the dealers.
Although the dealers pleaded anonymity for fear of being victimised, they nevertheless told our correspondent last week that the recent raid at the market was targeted at some individual dealers.
They alleged that the raid which led to the seizure of some vehicle s for underpayment of Customs duty was meant to victimize some dealers. According to them, the FOU operatives only went to some prearranged parks, where questionable vehicles were found.
They also alleged that some executives of the auto market showed the officers the parks to visit in the market.
The dealers who spoke on the many challenges they are currently facing in the market also accused the market’s leaders under Mr Metche Nnadiekwe of enriching themselves to the detriment of dealers and others in the market.
They specifically alleged that the market executives are in the habit of imposing questionable levies on the auto dealers.
One of the dealers said: “Recently, they collected N5000 from the entire dealers under the pretence that they were going to Abuja to see government officials. It’s almost one month and they are yet to tell us anything. They levy us anytime they need money and we dare not question them, especially the president”.
They also said that despite the ban on the importation of vehicles to the country through land borders, a sizeable number of such vehicles still find their ways into the auto market; they alleged that market leaders connive with the smugglers.
When contacted by one of our correspondents, the President of the United Berger Motor Dealers; Mr Nnadiekwe debunked the allegations saying they are all lies aimed at tarnishing the good image of the auto market.
He also said that no money was collected from anybody for anything stressing that such stories should be disregarded.
“It is not everything that someone says that should be published. Some of the people who are saying this are not dealers, because a dealer can not say such a thing, so please ignore them. It is not everything that I will react to, there is nothing like that, it has never happened here in Berger. I don’t know why these people are putting Berger on the spot, there is nothing like that, it is a big lie” he said.
Reacting to the Berger market face-off, a Master Mariner; Captian Tajudeen Alao said that until the government stops attaching much interest to revenue collection, car smuggling will never stop.
Captain Alao told Shipping Position Daily in Lagos that the country lacks the capacity to receive all the goods coming into the country.
He said that there is nothing wrong with vehicles coming in through the sea or land borders as far as the government is ready to put the right machineries in place.
“In fact, importation through land borders is even good. People drive it in and pay their duties and clear with the customs and they bring in the car. Everything is not revenue target that is what is causing the problem. Duty on a vehicle should be low, but because we want more revenue then we put this thing out of the reach of ordinary people, then people will start to cut corners.”
“What about the loss of lives associated with smuggling we don’t even consider that. We are only concerned with revenue. What about the risk that people are taking? Government should look and find a way to handle it. We must collaborate with the people there, these goods are meant for Nigeria and they are all in ECOWAS” he added.
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