ROTIMI ASHER
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s part of efforts to ensure a clean environment as well as portray environmental friendliness of Suzuki four stroke marine engine, Boulos Enterprise, the sole franchise dealer and assembler of Suzuki products in Nigeria has held the world Suzuki beach cleaning day.
The beach cleaning exercise which took place at Ojualaro Marina beach, Epe on the 28th September attracted a large turnout of local people with the representatives of Lagos State government, Epe local government officials and the media in attendance.
Speaking at the event, Boulos General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Stanley Evans said,’ what we are doing today is to clean the beach as much as we can to demonstrate Suzuki’s commitment to clean living environment and a cleaner beach. We have been doing it for seven years in Lagos to promote cleaner, greener Lagos and Nigeria. It is held between the month of August and September in every single country in the world where Suzuki has distributorship.”
‘’This exercise, ‘’ he added,’’ is happening today in Brazil, Scotland, Singapore, Vietnam and Nigeria. It is something very special. One day in a year, Suzuki will go out to clean the beach to promote the concept of a cleaner beach environment.”
On criteria used to select Marina Beach in Epe, Evans said, ‘’ we have been visiting here to regularly service Suzuki outboard engines that have been sold. So we selected this beach for the reason that it needs to be cleaned up. Secondly, we found out that the people are very friendly. We wrote to them and followed it up with phone calls. Look at how they have turned up in large number today.’’
He stressed that the motive behind the world Suzuki beach cleaning is to show that Suzuki outboard motor engines are clean, four strokes clean, two strokes dirty.
“So we want to emphasize that we have all things clean. We want to help to save the environment with Suzuki,” Evans added.
Also speaking, the vice- chairman of Epe local government, Hon. Agbadanla Ibrahim described Suzuki Beach cleaning initiative as a programme in line with the plan of Lagos State government to make Epe clean and to turn the beach to a tourism sight.
“What is being done today,” he stated, “has not happened in the history of Epe. It is a good step in the right direction. Therefore, Kudos must be given to Boulos Suzuki.
‘’To sustain what Boulos has done, the local government has prepared sanitary inspectors that will keep watch over the beach to ensure people do not dump refuse at the beach, adding that the local government will continue a weekly environmental sanitation every Saturday to keep the beach clean.’’
‘’Since Epe people occupation is fishing and the ancient town, a fish basket of Lagos,’’ Agbadanla explained,’’ what we do as local government is to buy small quantity of Suzuki outboard engines and resell to fishermen. To make payment easy, we make them pay instalmentally.’’
Boulos Suzuki world cleaning event is an annual pilgrimage that Suzuki has been doing all over the world for ten years now. Suzuki factory in Nigeria is the first factory to be set up in another country outside Japan. It is very famous. Boulos have been selling Suzuki motorcycle, one of the best in Nigeria. They also assemble Suzuki Super Carriage truck and distribute Suzuki marine engines.
