Bennett Oghifo
Nhe Nigerian automotive business is ready to rejoice one other distinguished business chief because the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) has nominated Chief Benson Uwatse, Chairman of Weststar Associates Limited, for the distinguished Nigeria Auto Legend Award on the nineteenth Nigeria Auto Industry Awards.
The honour locations Uwatse in an unique league of main personalities whose contributions have helped form the expansion and growth of Nigeria’s automotive business over a number of a long time.
He turns into the third frontline business chief to obtain the distinguished recognition, following Chief Michael Ade.Ojo, Chairman of Toyota Nigeria Limited, and Dr Cosmas Maduka, President and Chief Executive Officer of Coscharis Group.
The recognition underscores Uwatse’s longstanding involvement within the Nigerian automotive sector and his contributions to the event and illustration of the globally famend Mercedes-Benz model within the nation.
As Chairman of Weststar Associates Limited, the authorised common distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Nigeria, Uwatse occupies a strategic place within the nation’s premium and luxurious vehicle market.
Weststar is chargeable for coordinating Mercedes-Benz’s enterprise actions in Nigeria, overlaying passenger vehicles, industrial automobiles, vans and buses, alongside vendor assist, advertising, coaching, real spare elements provide, warranties and after-sales companies.
The firm formally commenced operations in February 2008, assuming accountability for Mercedes-Benz gross sales and after-sales operations in Nigeria. Its distribution community and authorised dealerships present gross sales and servicing assist throughout completely different elements of the nation.
Uwatse’s affiliation with the Mercedes-Benz model spans greater than three a long time, giving him appreciable expertise within the Nigerian automotive enterprise, notably in premium car distribution, buyer relations and model growth.
His involvement within the enterprise has additionally included management tasks within the Mercedes-Benz dealership community, particularly as Managing Director of MB Automobile Services Limited, one of many authorised Mercedes-Benz sellers in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Auto Legend Award is especially vital as a result of it recognises people whose contributions lengthen past routine enterprise operations to the event, progress and development of the nation’s automotive business.
Chief Ade.Ojo, the founding father of Elizade Nigeria Limited and Chairman of Toyota Nigeria Limited, was the primary recipient of the particular business recognition in 2017, in acknowledgement of his a long time of funding, enterprise and contributions to Nigeria’s vehicle enterprise.
Dr Maduka, who reworked Coscharis from a modest vehicle buying and selling enterprise into considered one of Nigeria’s main indigenous conglomerates, additionally earned recognition for his outstanding contributions to the automotive sector. Under his management, Coscharis Motors secured distribution franchises for a number of globally recognised vehicle manufacturers, together with BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and Ford.
Uwatse’s emergence because the third recipient additional reinforces NAJA’s dedication to celebrating people whose management, enterprise and business expertise have contributed considerably to the evolution of Nigeria’s automotive panorama.
The nineteenth version of the Nigeria Auto Industry Awards, organised by NAJA, is scheduled to carry on Thursday, December 3, 2026, on the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The annual awards convey collectively vehicle producers, distributors, sellers, policymakers, regulators, business professionals and different stakeholders to rejoice excellent achievements and recognise excellence throughout Nigeria’s automotive and transportation sectors.
