Yemisi Izuora
The Director-General of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Barrister Emmanuel Cobham has paid a facility visit to the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) warehouse. He was received by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Dr Oluropo Owolabi.
Cobhams, while expressing his delight opined that Nigeria has come of age with what he witnessed and that the SAHCOL warehouse can compete favorably with any cargo warehouse in the developed countries.
He said there is need for the general public to be aware of the level of standardization displayed by the new SAHCOL warehouse which was due to the level of professionalism displayed by the staff and Management of SAHCOL.
In response, the Managing Dirctor/Chief Executive Officer Olu Owolabi emphasized that the new warehouse has created allowances for faster cargo collection and that there has been no record of pilfering or damage to cargo brought into the warehouse.
Speaking further, Owolabi called on the government to invest in exportation, especially in the area of packaging because it is embarrassing to see that the few exported materials out of the country are usually packaged with sacks.
David Etim a national officer, who was on the entourage of the DG, NACCIMA expressed the need for the government to have Collection Centres where farmers would drop their agro-products to be exported. He went further to say that farmers should be educated about storage and the need for proper packaging.
The DHL’s Airfreight Manager, Paul Liden, who was present during the visit, praised SAHCOL for its ingenuity in the new cargo facility, stating that, he has been quite impressed with the services that DHL has been receiving from SAHCOL. According to him, the efficiency ratio has been high and there has not been a record of damage or pilfering while return time has been shorter.
SAHCOL is an aviation ground handling services provider, resolved to provide quality and efficient Passenger, Ramp and Cargo Handling Services in line with best practices and the highest International Standards to the delight of its customers and benefits of all Stakeholders, utilizing State-of-the-art equipment, skills, procedures and facilities, and employing a dedicated workforce in all its operational bases.
SAHCOL is poised to become a reference point where the efficiency of a successful flight operation is born. Hence, in addition to the completion of an ultramodern first-of-its-kind Custom Bonded Cargo Warehouse at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, SAHCOL is committed to ensuring that ground handling to its customers is seamless.
SAHCOL was bought over by the Sifax Group in December 2009, after its successful privatization by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Within this period, SAHCOL has invested in continuous personnel development for optimum performance, good customer services, purchase of modern equipment and massive infrastructural development, which has helped reposition the company to meet the expectations and needs of its growing list of clientele.