Review Ban On Motor Dealers, Association Begs Wike

National Motor Dealers Association of Nigeria (AMDON), FCT Abuja chapter, has appealed to the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to review the ban on motor dealerships in Abuja.

It warned that the policy could have implications for about 500,000 people directly and indirectly dependent on the sector.

The national president of the association, Engr Prince Atigbola Adediyin, made the appeal yesterday at a press conference in Abuja. He said the dealers preferred to engage in dialogue with the FCT Administration to resolve the dispute.

Adediyin said the association had written to Wike requesting a meeting to present its concerns and seek a review of the policy.

He said motor dealers had been engaging successive FCT administrations since 2001 over the need for a designated motor market in Abuja.

According to him, the issue dates back to the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when the then FCT minister invited motor dealers for discussions over the growing presence of dealerships across the city.

He said the administration subsequently allocated land at Tunga Maje for the establishment of a motor market after the dealers raised concerns about the need for an organised location for their businesses.

The project, however, was stalled after the administration’s tenure expired, while subsequent FCT administrations proposed other locations, he said.

Adediyin said another site was later identified in Dape District, measuring about 2,200 square metres, but administrative changes and disagreements over proposed locations continued to delay the establishment of a permanent motor market.

He said a committee established to examine the matter eventually recommended the Dape location, but the recommendation did not lead to the establishment of the market.

According to him, the prolonged failure to designate a location contributed to the continued operation of motor dealerships across different parts of Abuja, with some dealers previously permitted to operate temporarily in green areas.

The association president said the dealers were now seeking a permanent solution, urging the FCT Administration to either provide a designated motor market or incorporate motor dealerships into the Abuja master plan.

“We decided to take the normal route by writing and requesting an audience. What we need is nothing but to present our case before him because we have a history concerning where we are and how we got to where we are,” he said.

Adediyin said properly organised motor dealerships could contribute to sanitation, aesthetics and security in the capital, compared with unregulated roadside operations.

He cited some areas of the city where, according to him, motor dealerships had contributed to security by employing private security personnel and maintaining the surrounding area.

He also raised concerns over the employment implications of disrupting motor dealerships in the FCT.

The AMDON president disclosed that the association has about 1,500 members in the FCT, stressing that the figure represented corporate dealerships rather than individual workers.

He said each dealership employs several workers, while many others earn their livelihoods through ancillary businesses and services linked to the motor trade.

“If you look at these numbers and take the average, we are talking about not less than 500,000 individuals,” he said.

He added that motor dealers contribute to government revenue through dealership licences and renewals, taxes and other statutory payments.

Adediyin further explained that AMDON operates nationally, with chapters in all 36 states and the FCT, while other bodies in the sector operate at the local or specialised level.

He urged the FCT Administration to engage the association before taking measures that could affect its members and those whose livelihoods depend on the motor trade.

“We are sure that the Minister has not been well briefed on this thing,” he said, expressing confidence that the matter could be resolved if the association was given an opportunity to present its position.

Adediyin said the dealers were willing to relocate to any government-approved motor market if the authorities provided an appropriate location.

He stressed that the association was not opposed to the orderly development of Abuja, but wanted a structured arrangement that would protect businesses and employment, sustain government revenue and ensure compliance with the FCT master plan.