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The newly inaugurated President of Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPMDA), Hon. Ngozi Emechebe (Nmiri Oma), in this Executive Media Chat with a set of Nigerian journalists lead by Business Hilights in his office, has assured to take the plaza to the world via digitization process. He spoke on his agenda for ASPMDA and explained what Feb. 14 means to ASPMDA.

Excerpts:

Your Excellency, can you introduce yourself to the Nigerian media executives?

Thank you very much.

Am Hon. Ngozi Emechebe, ‘Nmiri Oma n’Ehuru Onweya’. The incumbent Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPMDA) President, Lagos International trade Fair complex, Badagry Expressway.

Sir, how do you feel becoming ASPMDA duly elected president?

Well, I feel good. This is so because the dream of becoming ASPMDA President, I can say; has finally come to fulfillment after many years of trials.

You know, everyone that dreams to occupy a post like this must have development programmes for the people.

To me, to give ASPMDA developmental progrmmes is the drive behind my dream to lead the largest auto market in Africa.

Sir, you just mentioned dream and drive now. As a follow up, what are the driving factors that prompted you to run for the presidency?

A lot of them.

Number one; the Good Lord has brought here from Lagos Island to develop this place to develop mankind and our businesses.

But after several years; in fact 23 years, there are many areas we are still lacking in terms of development.

You know the world is fast moving to a global village. So ASPMDA should not be lacking behind. Otherwise, where we are today is not where we are supposed to be.

I want to rightly place ASPMDA on the global map of digital business so that by the punching of one button, everything you need to know about our businesses from anywhere in the world will be in your hand seamlessly.

Am taking ASPMDA to the next level of digital world. And we will encourage our young ones to grow in the industry.

Am looking to an ASPMDA that will be projected to the world. Don’t forget, this is the biggest auto plaza in the continent.

The world is yet to know ASPMDA. I don’t think that there is any businessman or woman that will not like his business to be projected to the world. The advantages are humongous. Manufacturers will trace us and come down here to do business; customers will multiply in numbers.

Imagine what we are facing at the Embassies. It’s so because we have not taken ASPMDA to the world’s digital space.

The digital infrastructure we are going to build for ASPMDA will make embassies, customers and members respect us at all times.

The digital system we going to put in place, it will very easy to know who is who in ASPMDA and in the process, the challenge of identity at embassies will be a thing of the past.

With just one button, their eyes will open on the person they are interviewing.

Sir, are you talking of digitizing ASPMDA?

Yes. That’s where am going to. When you hear one button, am referring to digitization of ASPMDA.

For instance, I have account in Access bank and others. Wherever I go to in this country, I will access my money seamlessly because of the power of digitization.

So with the incoming infrastructure, no ASPMDA member will be struggling to identify himself anywhere.

The issue of where is your ID card. No, that’s outdated means of identification.

With the App in your phone, the person investigating you has no problem knowing you well. Just open the APP and your details will flash one hand.

Good thing, good product sir. Now, you were recently inaugurated and in the next three months or so, you will be marking first 100 days in office. What are the strategic achievements you are targeting within the 100 days in office?

Number one is environmental sanitation and clearance of heaps of refuse in ASPMDA as soon as possible. I want the heaps to be totally evacuated before end of March. No even 100 days.

Number two; the canal behind us here is currently filled with refuse. I want it cleared immediately because it is causing serious flooding here in ASPMDA every time it rains. I was made to understand that the canal had not been touched in the last five years.

It’s totally blocked.

We were embarrassed two weeks ago it rained. So that canal is one of my biggest challenges and I will tackle it head-on before the end of this month not even 100 days.

The plaza in general is not the way I want it to be. There are lots of shanties, make-shift tables, and unnecessary attachments. There are uncountable abandoned vehicles littering everywhere. That is not the way.

Sanity is coming so that here will be conducive for business.

Yes, you just mentioned sanitizing the plaza. As am coming today, I saw some discussing around one of the urinary that it has gone bad and that some have broken. They even spoke of the abandoned ASPMDA Bus. What is your response to these issues?

Yes, these are serious observations. Ask my fellow Exco members here. They will tell you that we have all these in our rehabilitation plan. I want to assure one members that the bus must be on the road again.

The firefighting truck must be well serviced to stand by in case of any eventuality.

We are going to renovate the urinals and even build more and special ones for our women. This is very important for gender sensitivity.

These are challenges of leadership.

I keep telling people that governance is not all about occupying a big well-furnished office. No.

It’s about service delivery, vision and intelligence.

I have been encouraging them to pay their revenue or even special funds to tackle pressing issues.

It’s important to understand that when revenue cannot solve teething challenges that is when special funds come in as a child of necessity.

Thank you. Now, this is February and 14^th is just next week Tuesday. We all know that ASPMDA has that day as its liberation or Exodus Day from Lagos Island about 23 years ago. Though several administrations do not mark it, do you plans for celebrating it in your regime?

Every February 14 is a freedom and convent day. It’s a day we were freed from all sort of challenges.

Immediately I was sworn into the office, I told them that we must hold and mark our covenant day with the Lord that liberated us. The essence of the special celebration is to draw ourselves back to God so as to receiving his good blessings.

As am talking to you, a committee is already on ground working for the day celebration.

That day is going to be a happy day for us. We will dance to the god Lord.

We will remember Idumota and dance very well.

Am one of the shop owners there and I must surly dance that day.

We are planning it to be a day with the Lord. It’s a day everybody will come and tell Lord whatever he or she wants.

God will answer us. He told me that you people turn your back on me. And He wants to bless particularly the youths. I had the message clearly from the Lord.

So, the sons and daughters of God will sing and pray to the Lord. We will come with our different requests before God.

I have told my people. Come with your petition before Him. He will answer you.

Bring seed offerings. If you have yam, bean, rice, cloths, in fact everything bring to the Lord that day.

After the service, all our offerings and the gifts will be shared to the Motherless Homes across.

Then, let the Lord come and do his own part for us all in ASPMDA.

So, am looking forward next week Tuesday, February 14 for our meeting with the Lord here in ASPMDA.

Now let’s look at ASPMDA. The elections have come and gone. Leadership structure is now on ground. What message are you extending to those that contested with you?

Thank you for that question. First, my advice is that my hands are wide open to welcome anyone in the progress of ASPMDA.

Let them come on board and join hands with us in taking ASPMDA to a new height.

ASPMDA is what God has given to us to build and grow. Let us join hand together to do it. There is a saying that says if you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to far, go with others.

Let them come and let’s move the plaza forward.

Am a man of peace and I don’t think anything from my hand will haunt them.

So am encouraging them to take the election in good faith and come on board with us to go far in the development of ASPMDA.

Now to the wider ASPMDA members and the entire Trade Fair business operators, what message do you have for them and what would they expect from your administration?

First of all, they should expect peace.

Secondly, we shall all work together as stakeholders.

Remember ASPMDA is the pioneer stakeholder here in the complex. And ASPMDA drive a kind of system that involves everybody. So we shall all work together.

But one thing that is bugging my heart is that the new road constructed has not been opened to the masses and we are suffering for that.

Yes, I have not been able to see the stakeholders’ chairman or seat with him on that. But I will find time to discuss that with him.

To the stakeholders’, we shall all work together with one voice to get good things from the management.

Now as we begin to wind down, there had been the issue of substandard auto spare products. How would you tackle the matter so as to drive customer relations under your administration?

In short, what will be the focus of your administration in stamping out fake products?

I want to recall that there have never been any time ASPMDA supported counterfeit products. Even it is on record that ASPMDA leadership works with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and let me tell you, we even allocate an office for them here in ASPMDA as a way of making it easy for them to monitor our products time in, time out.

Even in our general meetings, we always remind our people that desist from involving in fake products.

This is so because once we notice you, we hand you over to SON and they will take it up from there. We don’t want any bad name for ASPMDA. We never obstruct SON in doing their job here.

We also encourage our members to always bring in quality products so that whenever anybody complains against you, the union will stand by you.

Again, we don’t encourage faking another ones product. We don’t.

Thank you for your time sir. We understand that your schedules are tight. But once in a while, we will be having Media Chat to continue to keep the world and your members abreast with your development activities.

Thank you once more, your Excellency, the ASPMDA President.