Road and motor transportation developments in colonial Nigeria gave rise to the business of auto-parts. Poor nature of roads constructed, reckless driving plus the wear and tear associated with automobiles were the early challenges road transporters encountered. For motorists, these problems were further compounded by where and how to procure scarce auto-parts for their vehicles. Hence, a few auto-parts dealers and transporters procured their merchandise in auto-parts from Gold Coast (Ghana) and some others depended on importation from the West. Notwithstanding, a few expatriate firms and indigenous transporters who provided overhauls for vehicles only rendered maintenance for their motor transport businesses. Therefore, it was a herculean task to buy scarce auto-parts until the middle of the 20th century when Igbo entrepreneurs got involved in the business. Since their involvement, and through systematic organizations, the business has spread to all nooks and crannies of Nigeria and recognized in Nigerian economic sector. Thus, the narrative of the organizational pattern of Igbo entrepreneurs in auto-parts business in Nigeria is lacking in existing literatures, and the paper attempts to bridge this gap in knowledge. It argued that through systematic organizations and dogged resilience amidst economic vagaries, Igbo entrepreneurs have sustained auto-parts business in Nigeria. The approach of the paper is ethno-historical with texts obtained from primary and secondary sources.
Keywords: Auto-Parts, Business, Organization, Igbo, Entrepreneurship