After buying a ‘state-of-the-art’ saloon car, Edmund Eze was in a celebratory mood. Although the vehicle was ‘Tokunbo’, a coinage for fairly used items including vehicles imported from overseas, it was almost new and in great condition especially considering its low mileage, neat interior and gleaming coat. In his Abuja neighbourhood, it was the envy of all eyes especially those with a large taste.

“To think that I bought that car for N6m pains me even more,” he added while narrating his ugly experience during a chat with our correspondent.

The dealer, who sold the car refused to take responsibility for the problem and despite getting the police involved, Eze could not get any reprieve. Eventually, he had to sell off the car after repeated efforts to put it back in shape failed.

Adamu Michael had a similar experience. All was well with the ‘Tokunbo’ Sports Utility Vehicle he bought from a Lagos car dealer until he discovered that water was coming inside it from one of the doors anytime it rained, and also whenever it was being washed. It happened even when the window on that particular door was wound up.

“I made enquiries and was told that the car must have had a major damage on the door with the window before it was imported.

“They repaired the door but it was not done very well and as a result, water was coming inside from the window. It was so annoying and really messed up the car,” Michael said.

Unlike Eze, Michael was able to fix the problem after spending a little fortune to replace the faulty door. But Vitus Emeka’s case was different. He intentionally ordered an ‘accidented’ car from the US after discovering that damaged vehicles were much cheaper.

“I needed to change my car but didn’t have enough money to go for the type of ‘Tokunbo’ I wanted.

“I jumped at the offer and that was how I was able to purchase an SUV, which is one of the most patronised vehicles at the moment,” he said.

The car arrived without the front and back bumpers, while the air-bag had already been blown out. Also, the accident, which the car suffered, affected the front legs.

“I was able to put the car in order but due to the initial damage on the front legs, it is always going out of alignment and it kept spoiling the tyres,” he added.

Despite the problem, Emeka said he did not regret buying an ‘accidented’ car.

“I see it as the price I have to pay to use a recent model car. If not, I would not have been able to afford such a vehicle at this time,” he noted.

Era of ‘accidented’ cars

Eze, Michael and Emeka’s stories all stem from the grim reality facing the average car buyer in Nigeria today – majority of the vehicles being imported into the country were involved in varying forms of accident abroad before they were disposed by their original owners. Nigerian car dealers, looking to make profit amid a harsh economy, buy these vehicles at much cheaper rates before bringing them into Nigeria.

The situation has worsened in recent years, and unlike in the past when the term ‘Tokunbo’ meant fairly used but well maintained imported cars, many in this category that come into the country these days arrive with all manner of damages.

Unofficial sources state that up to 70 per cent of vehicles that come into Nigerian ports are ‘accidented’. Insiders in car importation and sales industry attribute the development to the current economic situation in the country, as well as the National Automotive Policy, which was introduced in 2013. The policy, which was aimed at boosting the local vehicle manufacturing industry, increased the tariff on imported new and ‘Tokunbo’ vehicles to 70 per cent by imposing 35 per cent levy and 35 per cent duty on the goods. The development hiked the cost of imported vehicles in the country, a situation which was worsened by the weak exchange rate of the naira. All of a sudden, Nigerians, who have been relying on ‘Tokunbo’ to meet their car needs, found it difficult to even obtain the ‘second hand’ vehicles. For car dealers, the result was a drastic drop in the volume of business.

Beyond the cheap cost of purchasing cars abroad, another major advantage which attract dealers to ‘accidented’ vehicles is the import duty rebate they enjoy.

Ordinarily, rebate is provided for ‘Tokunbo’ cars, depending on the year of manufacture but ‘accidented’ vehicles attract even less customs duty than a complete fairly used vehicle. Cars certified to be ‘accidented’ could get up to 20 or 30 per cent rebate on import duty, a development which reduces cost for the dealers, and other individuals who import such items.

Our correspondent also discovered that dealers and customs agents are always haggling over the ‘true value’ of imported cars. For the dealers, importing ‘accidented’ cars is one way to escape ‘excessive’ clearing fees.

A clearing agent, who identified himself as Joseph Gbemudu, told our correspondent at the PTML terminal at Mile 2, Lagos, that the ‘over-valuation’ of the worth of imported vehicles was one of the reasons car dealers had resorted to importing damaged cars, rather than clean ‘Tokunbo’ vehicles as was the case in the past.

“Customs over-value imported cars. Sometimes you have cases where the customs duties imposed on some vehicles are even higher than the cost of purchasing and shipping the car and when these duties are added to the price of the vehicle at the car stand, very few Nigerians can afford them.

“So, the car dealers are now going for ‘accidented’ vehicles because they get them much cheaper abroad, thereby saving some cost which also helps to make the cars cheaper for Nigerians who are buying from the car stands,” he said.

While importers and car dealers have turned to damaged, ‘accidented’ cars as a means of escaping what they regard as the ‘exorbitant’ import duties imposed by the National Automotive Policy, the Nigerian Customs Service would not readily provide rebate for any car that was presented as ‘accidented’.

A Customs officer, who spoke with our correspondent at Tin-Can Island Port, in Lagos, disclosed that before any vehicle tagged as ‘accidented’ could qualify for 30 per cent rebate, the car must be seen to have recorded extensive damages – the air-bag should be blown out, while the chassis and parts of the body must be considerably damaged.

The officer, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, admitted that sometimes car dealers try to pass off ‘Tokunbo’ cars in good condition as ‘accidented’ vehicles.

“If the air-bag exploded, the government can accept that it is an ‘accidented’ car but when the air-bag did not blow out, it is just a bash, it is not ‘accidented’.

“If the car has serious accident, you get a rebate. But we always try to make people to understand that there is a difference between accident and bash. When it is certified to be ‘accidented’ you can get up to 30 per cent rebate,” he said.

Clearing agents at Tin Can Island Port and other major ports in Lagos, in separate interactions with our correspondent, observed that over 70 per cent of the cars that are being imported in Nigeria are ‘accidented’. But the customs officer disagreed.

“What some people regard as ‘accidented’ cars are not really ‘accidented’ cars. Some are cars that are just bashed, nothing more. Such cars do not qualify for rebate.

“We have a template for classifying cars as ‘accidented’. At least the airbag must blow out in the accident before the car will be adjudged as ‘accidented’,” he explained.

Some car dealers, who spoke with our correspondent, were unwilling to admit that they pass off refurbished ‘accidented’ cars as grade one ‘Tokunbo’ to unsuspecting members of the public. But Kingsley Ede, an attendant at a car stand in the Mile 2 area of Lagos, admitted that it is more profitable for car dealers to import ‘accidented’ vehicles.

“Most car dealers would rather buy ‘accidented’ vehicles abroad, come back to Nigeria, repair and sell than import clean vehicles, which are much more expensive.

“You should also understand that a neat ‘Tokunbo’ would not only be more expensive for the car dealer who is importing from abroad, it will also be very expensive for those who want to buy cars here in Nigeria,” Ede observed.

Difficulties experienced by some people, who acquired refurbished ‘accidented’ cars unknowingly, was the reason a car mechanic, Paul Ogaba, suggested that prospective car owners should consult professionals when buying a vehicle.

In a chat with our correspondent at his workshop located in the Ojodu Berger area of Lagos, Ogaba said that majority of the ‘Tokunbo’ cars being sold in the country are ‘accidented’ vehicles.

“Many people think they are buying grade one ‘Tokunbo’ not knowing that what they are getting is a repaired ‘accidented’ car.

“When you go to a car stand to purchase a vehicle, the dealers will never tell you that the car was involved in an accident before it was brought into the country.

“But if you take a professional along when going to inspect the vehicle, he will find out this aspect. I advise that Nigerians should get professionals involved whenever they want to buy ‘Tokunbo’ cars,” he said.

He offered some clues on how to Identity a refurbished ‘accidented’ vehicle put on sale.

“The paint should be the most striking indicator that a so-called ‘Tokunbo’ car has been worked on. In most cases when an imported ‘accidented’ car is repaired it will have to be repainted. Anybody that is experienced enough can detect a new paint on any vehicle, even if the painting was done by experts. That is the first clue.

“Then you can also look at the body to see if there are signs of body work. But these things are more likely to be noticed by somebody who is experienced,” he said.

Different strokes

However, it is not all tales of woe for everybody that purchased ‘accidented’ cars. Some people are luckier – the vehicles serve them well without any problems.

Lanre Adesina, a bank worker, acquired an ‘accidented’ 2013 model car. After clearing the vehicle at the PTML port at Mile 2 in Lagos, it was taken to a panel beater where it was refurbished. Adesina told our correspondent that the vehicle had never given him any problems since then.

“The car has been serving me very well, I have not had any problems with it at all,” he said.

Stanley Ikenna, a businessman, has not had any reason to regret going for an ‘accidented’ car when he decided to change his car about two years ago.

“I was using a 2006 model vehicle but when I wanted to change the car after some years, I felt I should upgrade.

“But I did not have enough money to get a clean ‘Tokunbo’, so I opted for an ‘accidented’ one. The car I got had a damaged front bumper and one of the doors was also badly damaged.

“It was a cheaper option and I told my dealer to get it. When it arrived Nigeria, I repaired it and I have been using it ever since. If I did not tell you, you will never know it’s an ‘accidented’ car,” Ikenna said.

Situation at the ports

Indeed, findings by our correspondent indicate that majority of the cars that come into Nigerian ports are ‘accidented’ vehicles. Checks by our correspondent at the PMTL terminals at Tin Can Island and Mile 2 revealed that approximately seven out of 10 vehicles cleared at the two facilities are ‘accidented’ cars. During a visit to Mile 2, our correspondent observed that nearly every car that was brought out was damaged – some had no front or back bumper, some had their entire front smashed out, others had their doors or other parts of the body bashed in, yet others had smashed windscreen and blown-out air-bags. Our correspondent further observed that, in most cases, immediately they are brought out from the wharf, the accidented cars are driven away to workshops where they would be repaired.

Specialist repairers

A number of such ‘specialist’ panel beater workshops are located around 22 Road in the FESTAC area of Lagos, a short distance from the port at Mile 2. Our correspondent was directed to the area by some clearing agents at the port after narrating that he was importing an ‘accidented’ car and needed a place to put it in order. The clearing agents, who gave our correspondent the address of the panel beaters, also disclosed that they (the panel beaters) mostly work for car dealers. During a visit to the workshops at FESTAC, our correspondent saw various vehicles being fixed.

Anayo Nzube, a worker in one of the workshops, admitted that their major clients were car dealers. Asked how they are able to fix such cars without altering the ‘new car scent’ that is associated with all newly imported cars, the man said they were not new in the business.

“Normally, what we do is to put the body of the car back into shape. We straighten out the dents and fill out areas that needs to be filled.

“Sometimes, you get some cars that have damages on parts of the body and even the chassis, if it’s something we can take care of, we fix the problem but our work also requires replacing damaged parts with new ones.

“Parts like bumpers, front grilles, bonnets, doors, fenders, side mirrors and the front lights are most times replaced to make a car look new,” he said.

But beyond refurbishing cars, the panel beaters can also ‘upgrade’ the vehicle by replacing some parts of the vehicle with those of more recent models of the same car. This makes the car to look like a more recent model.

Tough damages

Interestingly, importing ‘accidented’ vehicles does not always turn out to be a good deal, after all. Nzube disclosed that there have been several instances where the imported cars are so damaged that they are impossible to fix.

“Some of these vehicles arrive in such a bad state that they cannot be repaired,” he said. “Maybe they are already condemned cars abroad but people still buy them as scrap, hoping to fix them here.

“In some of such cases, the cars are abandoned at the workshop after the owner has spent a lot in trying to repair them,” he added.

Ineffective automotive policy

Investigations further revealed that, besides hiking the cost of imported vehicles and forcing car dealers to embrace the importation of ‘accidented’ cars, the advent of the new National Automotive Policy has also led to an increase in the smuggling of ‘Tokunbo’ cars into the country from Cotonou, Benin Republic. According to a source in the Nigerian Customs Service, the development is robbing the Federal Government of much needed revenue.

According to the US Department of Commerce, Nigeria imported 82,180 units of vehicles from the US in 2018, a significant increase from 48,899 units imported in 2017. Also, available data show that Nigeria is the third highest importer of used vehicles from the US, behind the United Arab Emirate and China.

The situation is a far cry from what was obtainable in the 1970s when the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime enforced a policy that boosted local assembly of vehicles in Nigeria. Peugeot cars were adopted as the official vehicles of government and, due to the policy, many Nigerians were able to acquire brand new Peugeot cars.

However, successive administrations abandoned the policy, a development which favoured the importation of vehicles. Today, even though nearly all vehicles on Nigerian roads are imported, foreign car makers have no assembly plant in the country.

FG agencies pass the buck

Meanwhile, some Federal Government agencies shifted the blame among themselves when our correspondent asked what was being done to address the prevailing situation, which is fast turning Nigeria into a dumping ground for damaged vehicles from the US and Europe. Officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Customs Service were approached for answers.

Spokesperson for the FRSC, Mr Bisi Kazeem, said, “We do not stay at the ports but we know that most of the time those who import the ‘accidented’ cars go straight to mechanic workshops when they bring them in.

“What we have been doing is campaigning that people should not import cars that are older than 10 years, just as we are campaigning against the use of second hand tyres.

“People complain of the economy but when you are talking about life and safety you do not look at cost because if life is lost nothing else remains.”

While addressing the issue, spokesperson for SON, Sola Fashina, absolved the agency of any blame. He said, “What are we supposed to do about it? Have you asked the Customs? We are not at the ports so what do you expect us to do about it? If we are there to see when it (‘accidented’ cars) comes in we can do something about it.

“You should direct your questions to the Customs because they are the first point of call when ships come in. We are not at the ports.”

On its part, the Customs said it cannot be held responsible for whatever Nigerians decide to import, as long as the goods were not contraband. Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Mr Joseph Attah, said, “If you import your car and the car is slightly ‘accidented’, are we to ask you why you imported it?

“You will pay your duties and if there is appropriate rebate for ‘accidented’ car, we will apply it as the law says.

“If it is not contraband and it is within your right to bring it in, Customs cannot begin to question why you should bring it in.”

Credit link:  https://punchng.com/tokunbo-to-accidented-cars-citizens-express-mixed-feelings-as-nigeria-turns-dumping-ground/