Motorcycle dealers lament low patronage in Zamfara

The Zamfara State chapter of the Motorcycle Dealers Association has lamented low patronage.

In an interview with newsmen  in Gusau, the state capital, the chairman of the association, Alhaji Tanko Muhammad, who spoke through his vice, Jamilu Musa, blamed the low patronage on economic challenges.

He explained that the motorcycle that was formerly sold at N230,000 now costs N480,000.

According to him, the state government does not patronize the association apart from the tenure of the first Executive Governor, Alhaji Ahmad Sani Yarima.

He said that the first Executive Governor gave the association a contract to purchase 1000 motorcycles which he said were distributed to the youths for self reliance.

“We only rely on the politicians who purchase motorcycles for their supporters in the name of politics”, he said.

When asked about buying stolen motorcycles, the chairman lamented that the association has a laid down policy before it can buy any used motorcycle, saying that they don’t buy those without proper investigation.

The chairman added that the association has to collect the documents of the motorcycles before demanding persons who can identify the seller in his area to testify the motorcycle belongs to him.

“After the leaders of the Union have been satisfied that the motorcycle truely belong to the owner, then he can be paid.

“And before any payment is made, the security operatives must be present. We don’t make any payment without the police knowledge for proper documentation.

“Just last two weeks, one person brought a used motorcycle for us to buy but during the interrogation, it was discovered that the motorcycle was a stolen one and we quickly invited the police and he was arrested.

“In the process of interrogation, he confessed that the motorcycle was stolen in the Bukkuyum Local Government Area of the state.”

Speaking further, Muhammad explained that sometimes, some people report to them thay their motocycles were stolen. He said after proper checks, the motorcycles are released if their claims are comfirmed to be true.