Fresh investigations carried out by Shipping Position Daily have revealed why many buyers; especially people who know about automobile are reluctant to patronize Berger Automobile market.
Even though it boasts of different vehicles of diverse models and year, Africa’s biggest automobile market which is located at Berger along Apapa Oshodi expressway, is also considered as one of the most expensive car marts in Nigeria.
When our correspondent spoke with a cross section of Nigerians last week, some maintained that despite the effort of the officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to get rid of smuggled vehicles, Berger automobile market seems to house smuggled vehicles.
A freight forwarder who simply gave his name as Mr. Ugochukwu Udo, advised that customs should ensure that a routine check of particulars and documents of vehicles at the Berger auto mart is carried out regularly.
“I won’t advice anybody close to me to buy motor from Berger, most of the cars they sell at that place do not have genuine papers and duties are not properly paid on them. What they know there is bring in the vehicle and sell and their cars are always very expensive”
Also speaking, an agent who does not want his name in print argued that most cars at Berger are damaged cars which have gone through different series of repairs before they are sampled and as a result may not give you the desired result.
“You know Berger is an automobile market and what they are after is making profit. So what they do mostly is to buy damaged cars which are mostly cheaper, repair them and sell and in that case they will be making more profit. To me I won’t blame them because it is all about making profit”
A car owner who simply gave his name as Mr. Emma explained that he still enjoys a Honda Accord he bought at an auto shop at FESTAC four years ago than a Toyota Camry he bought at Berger in 2017.
“I do little or no work on the Honda except servicing, unlike the Camry I bought at Berger”, he said.
Meanwhile in his response, the President of United Berger Motor Dealers of Nigeria (UBMDN), Metche Nnadiekwe said there is no smuggled vehicle at Berger, adding that all the vehicles at the mart have genuine papers.
He challenged anyone to come with evidence of smuggled cars at Berger.
“How will you be asking me this type of question every time you call me, are you the one smuggling the vehicles into the ports. Tell whoever told you that that he is crazy, he will come and check if there are smuggled vehicles here”
“You call me to ask, there are some certain things you have to ignore, it is not everything one says that will be in paper. Okay, there is no smuggled vehicle here in Berger, if anybody says there is a smuggled vehicle, he or she should come and show us the vehicle, because Berger is a very big market”, he concluded.
