Having a private means of transportation has become a necessity in a country like Nigeria where public means of transportation is not as organised as it should be. In Abuja, the nation’s capital, for example, cabs with seat capacity for four, aside the driver, carry five passengers, thereby making those at the back seat very uncomfortable.
Japanese vehicles such asHonda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Isuzu, Mitsubishi have increasingly become popular and the next big problem for fairly used car owners is the need to have access to ‘genuine’ spare parts, with those made in China or Taiwan classified by some as fake parts. Most genuinespare parts found in the market today are sourced from accident vehicles.
However, the sale of original spare parts has taken a new dimension as those engaged in the business are growing in number. The common name for spare parts markets in Northern Nigeria is ‘Panteka’ while the biggest spare parts market in Nigeria is Ladipo Market in Mushin Area of Lagos.
Abroad, the first port of call for spare parts is nearby Cotonou in Benin Republic, while the more buoyant dealers patronize markets in Europe, America and Asia, specifically Malaysia.
Alhaji Nura Babbais adealer based in Panteka Car market in Kaduna who goes to Lagos, Benin and Malaysia to buy used parts for sale in Nigeria.He is the vice chairman of Panteka Market Spare parts Association and the Chairman of Hausa Traders in the market.
He said he finds out from his agent if there are new stocks before he leaves Kaduna for Lagos. At other times he sends some money and his agent selects and sends directly to him based on mutual trust. He however does not rely on agents in Malaysia to buy goods for him.
Babba said he isalways mocked whenever he travels to buy himself, but he tells them that “Nigeria is like a good car with a bad driver, which is why the country keeps retrogressing by consuming anything including ‘second hand’ brassieres sold openly in the streets.”
He continued: “Nigerians are busy consuming junk despite being a rich oil exporting country for many years.The cars and trucks assembling plants in the country are comatose while the few surviving ones operate below average capacity. Those fabricating spareparts do not receive funding, training or encouragement from the government.”
A survey shows that a relatively good used car sells for about one million naira and above in Nigeria. And a small brand new car made in Asia goes for about 1.7 million naira.
NuraBabba said, “Nigeria should have been better-off if not for lack of responsible governments in the past that do not care to develop the country’s economy for the betterment of all, but instead allow the car and trucks assembling plants to either close or to be operating below capacity.”
He revealed that, coupled with the bad economy due to poor policies by subsequent governments, Nigeria now fabricates some parts that are not readily available which may not be unconnected with the rising cases of accidents across the country.
Bubba said “Nigeria would have progressed rapidly if the government had improved the local technicians who fabricate car parts in Panteka and other places, but they prefer imported used parts,” adding that the biggest importer of used parts to Nigeria from Japan is an Igbo man known as Okey Japan, based in Ladipo Market in Mushin Area of Lagos.
A week’s warranty is given to customers who purchase used engines from Hausa traders in Panteka market in Kaduna. “If the engine has a minor fault, they repair it, andif it’s major, they replace it. But other traders don’t replace the engine or give you back your money. They only give you some money to repair the engine. But if some of the engines are beyond repairs, we cannot return it to the major dealer in Malaysia, Cotonou or Lagos, we bear the loss in that transaction,” Babba said.
To meet up with demand, spare parts dealers value old cars and those involved in fatal accidents. They simply dismantle them and sell the parts in pieces to car owners and mechanics.
