West Africa’s largest ground handling service provider, NAHCO Plc, has announced the appointment of two non-executive directors into its board. The new directors are Mr. Abdulhamid Aliyu and Revd. Victor Abimbola Olaiya.

In a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX) signed by the Company Secretary, Mr. Bello A. Abdullahi, the Company said the appointment followed the retirement of three members of the Board: Engr. Mohammed Gambo Umar, FNSE, mni (Non-Executive Director), Sir Sunday Nnamdi Nwosu, KSS (Independent Non-Executive Director), and Engr. Solagbade Olukayode Alabi (Non-Executive Director). Their retirement from the board is effective from December 31, 2023.

According to the notice, Aliyu is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Specialist (UK) as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants. He is a Certified Management Consultant and a Certified Management Specialist by the London Graduate School who holds a Doctor of Business Administration in Oil and Gas (Honoris Causa).

Born in 1963, Aliyu was awarded a BSc degree in Economics from the University of Maiduguri (1987) and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers. He is also a Dealing Clerk of the Nigerian Exchange, a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered).

A man of many parts, his career journey began as an Investment Officer at the Nigerian Agricultural & Cooperative Bank in 1988. He has over the years held various significant positions, including as General Manager at Fairholme Investment (Nig.) Limited, Special Assistant to the Minister of Petroleum Resources and Managing Director of NNPC Oilfield Services Limited in 2023.

Revd. Olaiya, born in 1956, was awarded an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Mechanical Engineering by the Yaba College of Technology in 1977 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ife in 1981. He obtained a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Lagos in 1988.

Olaiya is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and Nigerian Institute of Management NIM). He also trained at the Baptist College of Theology, Lagos, obtaining a Bachelor of Theology degree.

His extensive three-decade career in the Oil & Gas industry includes in roles such as Facilities Engineer, Drilling Engineering and Operations, and General Manager, Venture Relations Department of the Upstream Affiliates of ExxonMobil.

In addition to his corporate achievements, Olaiya served as the Chairman of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Lagos Section 61 in 1988 and retired as the pastor of New Insight Baptist Church, Ogudu, Lagos, in October 2021, after nearly seven years of service.

The statement by NAHCO further disclosed that the process of appointing a replacement for the retired Independent Non-Executive Director is currently underway.