By Theodore Opara

RENOWNED transporter and Chairman of Chisco Group of Companies, Chief Chidi Anyaegbu, has disclosed that the bane of the nation’s automobile industry over the years is the unavailability of genuine spare parts and technical support for the maintenance of vehicles. Chief Anyaegbu stated this at the just concluded 11th edition of the Lagos Motor Fair and 5th Auto Part Expo at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos on Thursday.

Chief Anyaegbu, Chisco boss

He advised entrepreneurs and business owners in Nigeria to always insist, while dealing with their partners from abroad, that aftersales technical support and genuine spare parts must be provided to maintain the vehicles supplied. Accoring to the Chisco boss, ‘’access to genuine and affordable spare parts should be standard practice in the country, otherwise Nigeria will remain a dumping ground for all manner of vehicles.”

Chief Anyaegbu, who called for the legislation and enforcement of laws that would ensure that these important requirements were met for sale and after sales of vehicles in the country, also called for more investments in the automobile industry so as to make transportation affordable for the common man.

“If the economy must move forward, we must invest heavily in the automobile industry and make transportation within the reach of the people,”he said. To this end, Chief Anyaegbu advised the Federal Government to encourage Nigerians, “especially engineers, mechanics, technicians to manufacture home-made auto parts and automobiles, as Egypt is presently doing.”

He recalled that in the past, the Nigerian economy absorbed over 65 per cent of the labour force in the agricultural sector, but noted that the trend had changed as transportation was fast becoming the largest employer of labour, urging the Federal Government to follow the Egypt example, which has invested so much in the auto sector.

He disclosed that the MCV Luxurious bus models are presently being manufactured in Egypt, an African country using Mercedes-Benz engines. To this end, he called on government to put up policies that would promote and encourage Nigerians to replicate similar actions on exportations, particularly to other African countries.

For this to come to fruition,Chief Anyaegbu advised that government must play vital role in revamping the steel, energy, and other sectors of the economy, which will in turn pave the way for private participation in the nation’s economic growth and development.

“It is for this reason that we must pay more attention to the steel sector and support researchers into motorising the nation’s economy,”he said.