The President of the United Berger Auto Dealers Association; Chief Metche Nnadiekwe, has urged both the Federal and State governments to ensure that automobile dealers are properly licensed to help curtail the multiplicity of automobile dealers.
Metche, who said this recently in a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos also accused some auto dealers who have been in the industry for long of bastardizing the business.
“Nothing is moving on now in the country that is why there are so many people who are into automobile business. A lot of people now result to a very simple way to make money and to some who have been in this business they have bastardised the business. If you look at all most every corner of this country, you will see automobile shops”
“Even government officials who travel outside the country normally use their estacodes to bring in vehicles to sell”.
He reiterated the need for government to ensure that automobile dealers possess the required credentials before they can be allowed to practice.
“In my association, for you to be an automobile dealer, we have to scrutinise you, ask you some questions and your dealer license; either from the state or federal government before we can accept you as a dealer. But those people at the street cannot be asked for their licenses”
So it is the government that will still help us in that regards to ask those people about their licenses. The multiciplicity of car dealers is not healthy for the business”.
On the issue of lack of parking space at the Africa’s largest automobile market, he said, “as you can see, there is no space to park new vehicles here, the whole place is filled up they are not going to park on top of each other and it is mostly caused by low sales. Because if people are selling and vehicles are moved out, there will be enough space to park new ones. The cash is not flowing, no cash anywhere” he concluded.
According to him, automobile business is as it used to be. “Government has to help us by ensuring that anybody who wishes to be an auto dealer must possess what it takes”, he added.
He also pleaded with the government to ensure that the cost of clearing of vehicles is reduced as according to him, that is one of the major reasons importers abandon their vehicles at the ports.
“What we have noticed now is that the cost of clearing vehicles is now very high and as a result some importers abandon their vehicles at the ports. The cost of clearing in this country is very high. I think the government should do something very quickly when it comes to clearing a vehicle”
“Sometimes the cost of clearing a vehicle is higher than the vehicle itself and you are selling these vehicles to Nigerians. How do you expect them to be able to afford the vehicle at the end of the day it becomes a problem. All these issues fall back to the government. The cost of clearing has made some people to abandon their vehicles are the ports. Sometimes they will result to sell some vehicles at the ports to be able to clear others”, he added.
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