The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (Nahco aviance) management says it has spent over $50 million on ground handling equipment.
It controls 85 per cent of the market.
Its Managing Director, Kayode Oluwasegun-Ojo, said part of the amount was also spent on mordernisation of the company’s ultra-modern custom bonded warehouse which had in recent times impacted on its operations.
The Nahcoaviance boss, who made this known,said the organisation after 35 years of operations, now controls 85 per cent of the market.
He also said the company between 2011 and 2013, spent N600 million on training and other regulatory matters.
“The training has enabled us to retain international knowledge, we take training and retraining seriously because it has a lot of impact on the company and staff, we are also planning to diversify into related business and expand into African, especially, West-African countries, he said.
Mrs Oluwasegun-Ojo, who said Nahco aviance retained its leadership position in the market through ‘competence and integrity’, noted that ‘it had always follow high standards of corporate governance’ in doing business.
“As par our shareholders, they have a reason to repose confidence in us because we have never declared loss”, he added.
He, however, said power and infrastructure had been a major challenge confronting the company, adding, however, that if the Federal Government could continue with infrastructural renewal going at many airports, ‘it would significantly help the industry to grow’.
“With the progress of infrastructural renewal being made, we have experienced significant improvements at Kano and Enugu international airports and that has helped our business but sometimes when work is in progress, the conveyor belt for instance, can stop because of power outage, government could consider the option of Independent Power Supply to airports to aid organisations’ businesses,’’ he added.
Meanwhile, the Grand Patron of Nigerian Professional Pilots (NPP), Captain Nogie Meggison, has called on the Federal Government to put in a place a proactive policy that will address the projected 500 Nigerian licensed pilots that are unemployed.
He said the number of unemployed pilots is increasing from 200 to an astronomical number when the over 100 student pilots’ sent to Jordan by the Kano State government would graduate later this year.
This is in addition to the 52 youths trained under the Federal Government Amnesty programme as well as the fresh batches 100 graduating from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology ( NCAT), and the 40 from International Aviation College ( IAC), in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Meggison said unless something fast is done, such development constitutes a disincentive to the growth and development of the Nigerian aviation industry.
He said well over 400 Nigeria licensed aircraft engineers are also out of job, urging the Federal Government to put in place an employment policy that would ensure these professionals are engaged by both indigenous and foreign carriers operating in the country .
Meggison said though, some domestic carriers have done well and are engaging some of the pilots but there still room for improvement .
He said an enabling policy that would check the influx of foreign pilots and engineers by foreign carriers.
He said there are over 1,000 foreign pilots engaged by both local and foreign registered airlines in Nigeria.
He lso said apart from the 1,000 foreign pilots, there are over 500 foreign aircraft engineers in the country.
He said: “The government should compel foreign carriers to set up a line station for aircraft maintenance in the country and employ local engineers to assist in turning around the growth of the sector .
‘’They should look into other avenues also, if policies are not put in place, the challenge of unemployment of pilots and engineers may not be soon resolved.”
He continued: “It is shameful that Nigerian licensed youth pilots are now driving “ Kabu “ “ Kabu “ to make ends meet .
‘’This is unacceptable .! Not that there’re no jobs but jobs at taken by foreigners.
‘’Over the years, the aviation industry has grown . About six years ago , the number of private jets has increased from 20 to 150.”
He added: “Even commercial airplanes have grown from 20 to 100, but it has not reflected to the employment of our youths, who are trained as pilots.”
He said it was time the Federal Government implemented the local content policies in the sector to create room for the employment of indigenous professionals, as it the practice in most parts of the world.
Meggison cited India, Cameroon, Russia and Egypt, where policies that prescribes that on every airplane cockpit there must be a national passport holder inside exist.
“For any aircraft that is flying in such countries,whether local or foreign registered, once the airplane has stayed in the country for more 30days, it must comply with cockpit laws,” he said.
He also said apart from the implementation of the policy, another way to generate jobs for professionals is in the establishment of aircraft maintenance centres.
Meggison said:”The government needs a policy to create avenues for qualified youths to get employment in the aviation sector .
“About 2000 skilled professional jobs can be created in first year, while 5000 skill jobs could be created by the next three years easily.
One way to achieve is to compel foreign airlines to open aircraft maintenance line station in Nigeria, where aircraft engineers could be employed.
“We need policies to drive employment of both indigenous pilots and aircraft engineers.
“This is the prawctice in other countries of the world, government creates a conducive policy to drive employment of key professionals.
“In countries, such as Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Egypt, their governments have perfected plans on how to use their aviation sector to create jobs for their youths.”
He added: “This explains why these countries export skilled professionals including pilots, aircraft engineers, cabin crew quality assurance mangers and technicians to other parts of the world.
“There is no reason Nigeria with her over estimated 170 million population should be exporting skilled aviator to other parts of year world.
“If one of every five black man is a Nigerian why can’t we produce one aviation professional out of every five African aviator.”
The government needs to address this problem. Even, the last batch of 30 aircraft engineers that graduated from NCAT, not even one is yet to get jobs.
“There are over 500 foreign aircraft engineers working in Nigeria. Most of the foreign carriers are putting flying spanners (engineers ) on board in the business class to fly to Nigeria instead of setting up a line station.
“There is need for the government policies to make them open line maintenance stations to provide hands on job training for Nigerians youths.
“So that they can gradually start transferring skill to our Nigerian youths.
“On board any Emirates or Qatar Airways flight, there is always other nationals from other countries who are are aviation professionals exported to other countries. Whereas Nigerian with her vast population is no where to be found,on the international scene.’’
