Auto Dealers Association of Nigeria (ADAN) has announced plans to transform automotive trading in the country.The association stated this at its inaugural awards and end-of-the-year stock-taking tagged, ‘The legal problems inherent in operating in an informal trade sector; auto trade’ in Lagos.

ADAN explained that as an association, it sincerely seeks to bring excellence into the business of automobile trading in the country and would continue to be that crucial pillar of support to all of its members in all circumstances and situations.

Chairman of the Organising Committee of the inaugural awards ceremony, Kennedy Ukagba, represented by the Chairman Board of Trustees (BOT), the Professional Platform of Auto Dealers Association of Nigeria, Amobi Moghalu, said the commitment came on the heels of the automobile industry’s 30 per cent contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP).

In his words: “That informality bedeviling the automobile industry ought to be transformed, such that the industry is elevated into a formal, recognized sector of the economy. An industry that contributes at least 30 per cent of the GDP is described as an informal sector of the economy. If that description does not worry you, it worries me.

“We aim to become a bulwark for all our members against the vagaries of state agencies and/or any form of intimidation or discrimination from any source whatsoever. We also seek to ensure that our members abide by certain ethics in conducting their business,” he said.

He said the event is epochal in the annals of the automobile business in Nigeria, stating that a lot of thought was put into fashioning an association that can become a benchmark, not only in the automobile industry but also as an instrument of change within Nigeria.

He stated that the association can write and demand explanations from both federal and state governments and its agencies about policies that are inimical to the progress of its businesses.

“The powers conferred upon associations by their registration at the Corporate Affairs Commission are such that a determined trade association can influence policies regarding the specific industry within which it operates. Many associations have done so in the past and continue to do so even up to this present time. That is why government agencies and their parastatals, law enforcement agencies and their operatives and other bodies of authority like civil and traditional institutions pay attention once a registered trade association is presented before them,” he stressed.

He said the association can write and demand explanations from both federal and state governments and their agencies about policies that are inimical to the progress of our businesses.

He explained that some years ago when officers of the Nigeria Customs and Excise Department locked up auto shops virtually all over Nigeria, this association was at the forefront of the fight against that governmental agency.

“We dispatched letters to the presidency and summoned a press conference to alert the nation. We also invited other regional and state-based auto associations from as far afield as Abuja and Kaduna, Asaba and Aba. That singular action, coupled with the actions of other auto associations around the country, led to a speedy resolution of that impasse then. There lies the power of a national association.”

He noted that within an association, there is no clear-cut hierarchy except for those instruments of administration like the executive and the board of trustees to which any member can aspire.

Also speaking, Keynote Speaker, Chijioke Okoli, said dealers must comply with laws and regulations guiding the operations of sales of vehicles in the country.

Okoli who is a legal luminary said the association should develop a framework for the development of the automobile sector in the country, stating that the association has the power to influence change within the sector. He said dealers need to be aware of happenings within their area, while also ensuring that licensing and documentation of their vehicles are done properly. According to him, if these are done, it will differentiate the association from others within the sector.