Your allegations spurious, baseless, NAHCO MD tells ex subsidiary boss, Yusuf

The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) has described as false, allegations by the Managing Director of its subsidiary, NAHCO Free Trade Zone Limited Mr. Baba Yusuf that the firm is indebted to him to the tune of N125, 900, 000.

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Olatokunbo Fagbemi in a press briefing disclosed that rather than Yusuf’s claims of being owed such amount of money, she said Yusuf is indebted to be company to the sum of N200, 000.

The claim and counter claim are the subject of law suit as the former NFZ boss has filed a suit to compel NAHCO Plc to pay what he alleged was due to him after he voluntarily resigned from the position of MD/CEO of NFZ with effect from January 31, 2019 which was extended to February 28, 2019 by the Board of Directors.

Yusuf, in a letter to the Board of Directors dated May 22, 2019 alleged that based on the terms of contract, he was entitled to a Performance Pay-Variable payment as provided for in the service agreement, stating, “I have not received any formal communication to that effect, three months after my resignation from NFZ, and still awaiting payment of my performance-based incentive pay.”

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Group Managing Director of NAHCo Plc, Tokunbo Fagbemi

“May I humbly request that my earned performance-based incentive pay that is pending be paid to me, less any amount due from me to NFZ. My own evaluation of my performance within the period of my appointment to the date I resigned is that I am entitled to be paid the sum of N125, 900.000.”

He reiterated that the basis of the performance incentive pay is the contractual reward for the delivery of positive results impacting on the growth, increased service output and indeed continued existence of the company.

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But Fagbemi said that at no time in his hand over note did Yusuf raise any of the allegations as issues of concern or requiring board or management attention.

According to the NAHCO boss, “Following this, he attempted and failed to force NFZ to pay him an undeserved severance package of N125, 900.000 as his performance bonus for seven months of non-performance as the Managing Director of NFZ.

“He, then went through his lawyer, threatened reputational damage to NAHCO by petitioning different investigative bodies to review his tenure and file an action in court for recovery of his perceived claims, warning that his action would materially damage the corporate reputation and operations of NFZ,” Fagbemi added.

Fagbemi bemoaned the action of Yusuf, stressing that rather than pursue his claim in court, he resorted to several acts of blackmail, arm twisting and extortion by writing various petitions with baseless allegations to several agencies and arms of government.

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These allegations according to her have material implications for national security just as she debunked Yusuf’s comments that officers of NAHCO collaborate with criminals to deliberately import arms, drugs and money laundering.

Fagbemi said these allegations were unfounded, spurious and weighty intended to smear the corporate image of NAHCo and create a run on the company more particularly its relationship with international airlines operating within the Nigerian airspace

“NAHCo operates in a highly controlled environment under Nigeria Custom Service, Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Directorate of State Security Service (DSS), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)”, said Fagbemi.

Wole Shadare