Most of the vehicles coming into the country through the Ports & Terminal Multipurpose Limited (PTML) terminals are mainly rusty damaged vehicles.
When Shipping Position Daily visited the terminal last week, different models of damaged, rusty vehicles mostly Toyota products of different years of manufacture were seen coming out of the terminal.
One of the agents who simply identified himself as Mr. Allwell Ugochukwu, said most of those vehicles are the ones that were terribly affected by the flood that devastated some parts of the USA late last year.
He also said that some of the vehicles were only affected by the flood and nothing serious happened to them and that they only had minor electrical problems which could be solved with little or no time and stress.
“For some time now most of the vehicles coming into the country are from the flood incident in USA a couple of months ago, they have been coming and majority of them are fairly-new . It’s a good business for some of our importers here, they buy them very cheap; couple with the fact that some are damaged and they will sell at a very cheap price here and make more money”, he told our correspondent.
Also speaking on the hazards of using such vehicles in Nigeria, he maintained that there is nothing wrong with the vehicles all they need to do is to do a proper work on them.
Allwel Ugochukwu, also said that some of vehicles that are sold in most automobile markets in Nigeria are from one flood incident in the past or another, adding that all the dealers did was to do a good job on them and sell them off.
“See, the fact is that most of the vehicles in some car marts in the country are victims of one flood incidence or the other in the past. So, the thing is getting a good mechanic to do a good work on it and the car is good for sale. Some of these damaged rusty vehicles you are seeing here, by the time they are done with them you won’t be able to recognize them again it is just a matter of small work and they are good to go”, he said.
Our correspondent sighted scores of damaged and rusty second hand vehicles being towed out of the terminal last week, a development which clearing agents describe as a usual these days at most vehicle handling terminals in Lagos.
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