NAHCO to spend N3.6bn on acquisition of ground handling equipment in 2019 – GMD

The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc says it will spend N3.6 billion on procurement of modern ground handling equipment in 2019.

Our correspondent reports that the Group Managing Director (GMD) of NAHCO, Mrs Olatokunbo Fagbemi, made this known while briefing newsmen on Friday in Lagos.

Fagbemi said her administration, which came on board on December 2018, had developed a five-year plan aimed at repositioning NAHCO and making it the leading ground handling services provider in Africa.

She said: “In the last few months, we have spent N1.9 billion on procurement of equipment.

“These equipment will soon be arriving in the country and before the end of the year, we would have spent about N3.6 billion to acquire more.

“We want to invest in equipment and cutting edge technology to bring more innovation to the industry.

“We want to bring professionalism in order to sustain our position as the leading ground handling services provider in Nigeria and Africa,’’ Fagbemi said.

According to her, the management has also begun the refurbishment of available equipment and warehouses as well as reviewing of processes within the system.

Fagbemi said the business review of NAHCO operations was being carried out by KPMG in order to achieve its mission of consistently providing exceptional services to its customers.

She said based on the audit firm’s recommendations, all NAHCO’s subsidiaries: NAHCO Free Trade Zone, NAHCO Energy, Power and Infrastructure and Mainland Cargo Options, were now directly under her management.

Fagbemi noted that NAHCO had also enlisted at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) as part of the reorganisation, saying that Nigerians should be confident of investing in the company by acquiring its shares.

She said that the issues between the management and the unions in the aviation sector over some of the reorganisation strategies by NAHCO had been resolved amicably.

“As at now, the unions and the management are on the same path. I have the word of the union leadership that we are working together to make this organisation thrive,’’ she said.

Fagbemi urged the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to step up its regulation of ground handling companies in the country to deter them from
compromising on safety and security in rendering their services.