NAHCO dismisses claims of indebtedness

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 N125.9 million.

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 an amount of money, she said Yusuf owes NAHCO N250,000.

“Yusuf was paid N5m upfront for his annual housing allowance, one month before his resignation and he also took away the official laptop of the company, so based on what was paid which he earns but has not worked for, we reached a conclusion that he refunds N250,000.”

The claim and counterclaim are the subject of lawsuit 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 January 31, 2019 which was extended to February 28, 2019.

Yusuf, in a letter to the Board of Directors dated May 22, 2019 had requested payment. “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 N125.9m.”

But Fagbemi said that at no time in his handover note did Yusuf raise any of the allegations.

“Following this, he attempted and failed to force NFZ to pay him an undeserved severance package of N125.9m as his performance bonus for seven months of nonperformance as the Managing Director of NFZ,” she noted.