An automobile dealer; Mr. Nwabueze Nnamdi has said automobile dealers have been under pressure for a very long time now, adding that government policies are targeted at such dealers.
“We have been under pressure, we are in a country where the government does not believe in the rule of law, things are done anyhow’’, he lamented.
In an interview with Shipping Position Daily, he stated that Nigeria is a lawless country.
‘’here is nothing we can do rather than to close our eyes and hope on God because the country is lawless. So we are patiently waiting to see the outcome of it because the way things are done, there is no way in a civilized and democratic government that things are done like that”
He also accused the government of making policies in the automobile industry that are aimed at victimizing the Igbos.
“I believe that all these policies are targeted at Igbos because the car business is mostly dominated by the Ibos. So whatever they will do to go against the interest of the people that are concerned they will do it. If the majority of people that are into the business are northerners, things like this will not happen so it is a targeted operation against the southerners and the Ibos”
On the way forward towards solving some of the problems, he said that individually, the dealers are looking for what to do.
“The car stands at FESTAC and Amuwo-Odofin have been planning on the way forward individually, but we have never come together as a group or an association to look for the way forward. Because customs came to some of those stands and collected customs papers on some vehicles and went for verification to know if duties were paid on those vehicles”
Speaking also on the challenges he said that sales are very low now unlike what is observed before now.
“Despite the fact that by this time last year, the exchange rate was higher than what it is now, the purchasing power is still very low. No sales, people are not coming forward to buy cars, but we are very hopeful that before the end of the year miracle will happen, because we don’t want to lose hope” he concluded.
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