quickmech,
ACN is Aero Contractors Nigeria Limited, a Nigerian company, with principally Nigerian directors, mostly from the Ibru family, who have many other interests such as banking (Oceanic Bank), fishing, hotels. With one or two notable exceptions such as the NLNG where the level of investment was such that the foreign investors demanded a 50% stake, Nigerian joint venture companies are at least 60% Nigerian owned. The Cyprus offices to which you referred are those of Aviation Personnel Recruitment and Management (APRAM). This was set up by Schreiner Airways, the former foreign partner in ACN, and was the vehicle for employment of expatriate pilots and engineers. There are only a few expats still employed on APRAM contracts. Since Schreiner was taken over by CHC, all new expat hires are now employed by CHC Global on very different contracts from the old APRAM ones and are paid in $CAD. The Ibru family, by and large leave the operational running of the company to CHC and the Managing Director is a Belgian. CHC have invested considerably more in terms of new equipment, than Schreiner did in its latter years, and they have turned the loss-making fixed wing division round into an expanding, successful and popular airline which was voted Nigerian Airline of the Year in 2005.
The GM for CHC Global in SA is indeed a Nigerian, as is the Bristow GM in the Northern North Sea. But then the Deputy MDs of both ACN abd Bristow are both Nigerian, and it seems like a good bet that the next MD of Bristow Nigeria could well be a Nigerian.
Both CHC and Bristow are sending Nigerian pilots overseas for ab-initio flight training (mostly to School 43 in SA at present, though that may change with Bristow having recently bought HAI - depending on visa issues in the USA for Nigerians).