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Europecar
lands at MMIA Lagos
By Moses Akaigwe (igwemos@sunnewsonline)
Friday, May 16, 2008
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•Peugeot
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Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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“At Europecar, we don’t talk about having more
presence in Nigeria than any other car rental company. We
also don’t talk about our network of 174 countries and
5,300 stations across the world. Rather, we concentrate on
your comfort, security, mobility and being there for you always.”
The foregoing is an assuring pledge by Europecar Nigeria
which meaning pervaded the atmosphere on Friday last week
as the globally known car rental company formally opened its
latest outlet at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport
(MMIA), Lagos. Speaker after speaker, including representatives
of the managements of the rental outfit and the Federal Airport
Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), who attended the modest but well
attended commissioning ceremony, harped on comfort, security
and the desire to extend the network to other airports in
the country.
Setting the tone was Chairman of Europecar Nigeria, Chief
Joseph Sanusi, who remarked that the arrival of the company
in Nigeria four years ago changed the face of car rental business
in the country by emphasizing customer satisfaction, hence
the preference of Europecar by the patrons.
“Since its advent in Nigeria”, Chief Sanusi said,
“Europecar had changed the landscape and redefined the
car rental business.
We are proud to be the provider of car rental and mobility
services to a large number of companies and individuals in
Nigeria. We are preferred because we do not take lightly their
comfort and security. We will continue to invest in modern
and latest models and sustain our focus on fleet of well maintained
vehicles. Our chauffeurs and managers are courteous and very
professional. We will continue to invest in their development”.
He disclosed that the branch being commissioned at the arrival
wing of the airport had already been connected to the Europecar
worldwide network of outlets, meaning that “with just
one call or click, you are on your way to having your choice
car waiting for check-out at your destination”.
The Europecar Nigeria chairman called on government at all
levels, ministries and relevant agencies, to ensure an improvement
on the state of infrastructure and service delivery in the
country “in order to meet up with other emerging markets
such as India, China, South Africa and Brazil, if we are to
maximise the potentialities given by this positive economic
development”.
Also addressing the guests, the Managing Director of Europecar
Nigeria, Mr. Abiodun Olusanya, described the location of an
outlet at the Lagos Airport as “a dream comes true”,
adding that the company was committed to meeting the high
expectations of Nigerians who travel across the world and
are familiar with the services offered internationally.
According to Olusanya, the partnerships that exist globally
between Europecar and many organisations in the travel and
hospitality industry, apply to the Nigerian environment.
Echoing the chairman’s emphasis on the company’s
pay-off line, at Europecar You Rent a Lot More Than a Car,
Olusanya said: “We are synonymous with comfort, security
and mobility…we are the only company in the industry
that offer a lot more than renting a car”.
His remarks on network expansion also dove-tailed into Chief
Sanusi’s: “We are looking forward to the day we
will be able to locate our outlet in every airport in the
country. This sentiment was equally shared by FAAN’s
Director of Commerce, Mrs. Ngozi Iloabachie, who said “we
are as desirous as you are to have outlets in all the airports”.
Mrs Iloabachie, who represented the managing Director of FAAN,
Mr Demuren, however, advised the Europecar management to expect
and understand the bureaucratic delays that might greet such
expansion efforts as it is always the case when government
agencies try to ensure that things follow the normal process.
She described Europecar as a rental company that is recognised
worldwide, saying its presence at the MMIA is in tandem with
the Federal Government’s public-private partnership
crusade which, according to her, drives FAAN’s activities.
“I am as happy as you are, and we hope it will be a
win-win situation for all”.
To FAAN’s International Terminal Manager at the airport,
Mallam Abdullahi Buba Chekene, it was only natural that Europecar
would register its presence at the MMIA because of its eminence
in the country’s aviation.
“We look forward to having a pleasant time doing business
here, and expanding to other airports”, Mallam Abdullahi,
said.
Apart from MMIA, Lagos, Europecar’s outlets are also
located at Ajao Estate, Isolo, and Ikoyi (both in Lagos);
as well as at Garki, Abuja; Kaduna; Rumonasi, Garden City,
Port Harcourt; as well as two in Calabar; and one each in
Owerri, Enugu, Warri, and Benin. |
