By Lucy Ogalue
Abuja, Oct. 15, 2026 (NAN) The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has begun moves to regulate motor dealership businesses nationwide through registration and licensing.
The Director-General of NADDC, Joseph Osanipin, said this at a sensitisation workshop organised for members of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON) on Thursday in Abuja.
According to Osanipin, there will be an online registration portal for the dealers.
He said that the portal was not an administrative tax scheme or a revenue barrier.
He said it was rather an empowering formalisation framework designed to protect verified local investors, build consumer trust and give legitimate dealers a recognised enterprise identity in the digital economy.
He said the retail and dealership sub-sector had for many years suffered from fragmentation, unstructured operations and lack of verified data.
“Financial institutions struggle to extend asset financing to dealers because of verification gaps, while government finds it hard to track market dynamics and curb grey market imports.
“Consumers are often exposed to unverified, un-customed or substandard vehicles without adequate warranty protection,” he said.
He said that the portal was a unified digital platform to formalise dealership operations nationwide and authenticate legitimate, tax-paying dealers while eliminating fraudulent and unaccredited operators.
“It will bridge the verification gap between dealers, commercial banks and original equipment manufacturers and distributors to unlock asset financing.
“The portal will also integrate data with the Nigeria Customs Service and tax authorities to eliminate double taxation, clear un-customed vehicles from showrooms and curb smuggling,” he said.
He said the registry would ensure that preferential public procurement and government fleet purchases prioritised accredited local vehicle assemblers and their authorised dealership networks, in line with the Nigeria First Policy.
Osanipin said onboarding onto the platform would position dealers to benefit from these federal opportunities and from expanded cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He urged dealership owners and automotive stakeholders to complete their registration and embrace digital transparency.
In a goodwill message, the EFCC Director of Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkah, welcomed the initiative, describing proper documentation as vital to investigations.
Chukkah said records of registration and dealership activities would assist law enforcement agencies in identifying individuals and tracing transactions during investigations.
He said the EFCC was willing to partner with NADDC to strengthen procedures and support efforts to combat economic and financial crimes.
Also, Prince Ajibola Adedoye, the AMDON president said NADDC’s dealership registration would weed out unregistered operators from the motor sector.
According to him, enforcement is expected to begin within a few months, possibly by the end of the year.
Similarly, the National Secretary of AMDON, Alhaji Ibrahim Kaso, commended NADDC’s leadership for improving relations between the council and motor dealers.
Kaso said the relationship had changed from mutual suspicion to cooperation, adding that the association would support the licensing initiative across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He described the initiative as a step towards bringing motor dealers under a common regulatory framework and promoting order in the sector.(NAN)
Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman
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