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What's New In W. Africa (Nigeria)

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What's New In W. Africa (Nigeria)

Old 14th Jan 2009, 13:12
  #3381 (permalink)  
 
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Bristow is the company profiting from all this, but its management structure must be groaning under the weight of all the extra work. It's rumoured that Akin Oni is returning shortly which can only be a good thing. He's a fearsomely intelligent, articulate Nigerian, well versed in matters Nigerian and now had his skills honed by his time as a (very popular) manager on the North Sea. It needs someone who will be here longer than just a one or two year contract (who wants to meet his profit targets in as short a time as possible) and is willing to make long-term investments in the future to turn Bristow into a 21st Century company, instead of being the company which has all the promise for the future, with all the baggage of the past.

That is as accurate a description of Bristow's situation as I have heard!

The key is over the years they have not done "long term" investment having relied on the contract term to decide what investment if any they made into infrastructure.
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Old 14th Jan 2009, 14:20
  #3382 (permalink)  
 
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Cecilia Ibru is indeed a formidable lady. Oceanic Bank was a relatively small family-owned bank but in 17 years she has overseen it becoming listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as a public company, ranked in the top 5 banks in Nigeria and the top 20 in Africa. Dr Ibru originally got a BSc in Sociology from London University more than 30 years ago and worked with her husband Michael for many years. She jas been MD of Oceanic Bank for more than 10 years now, has many awards and 3 doctorates.
Cecilia Ibru.
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Old 15th Jan 2009, 03:13
  #3383 (permalink)  
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Phone Wind,

Your statement with which Sasless concurs so much is especially true in Nigeria. Whether or not anyone totally agrees with the direction the puppeteers in USA have taken Bristow, while the Operations Management of the past remains the pilots are at their mercy. It is impossible to count the number of promising careers that have been cut short due to some perceived slight or personal dislike. The world is full of ex BHNL National and expat pilots who have seen the writing on the wall or been hounded out.

Oni is the hope for the future if he can grasp the nettle and make the changes everyone knows have to be made to allow talented people to advance, not just those liked by Ops management.
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Old 15th Jan 2009, 05:17
  #3384 (permalink)  
 
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CHC / Aero exodus

According to what is said, several pilots resigned during the past few weeks, including a 225 TRE !! It's no more a sinking boat, it's a submarine.
For Daulphin N5, I don't know if it's CHC or Aero that is sinking, but I have the feeling that they're both playing a game named "who loses, wins", and at the end guys will end jobless.
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Old 15th Jan 2009, 12:48
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GMIA, if you think badly of the direction the "puppeteers in USA have taken Bristow" what is far worse is the decline in Aero brought about by the arrogant clowns in Richmond and the puppets they tried to instal here in Nigeria. One of them, as mentioned by PW has actually been taken on by Aero! Until the Aero management bite the bullet and clean their house out they'll find it difficult to stop the decline. As has been stated, Cone Head is a part of the problem and I hope that the new MD is a strong but wise man who is willing to listen to some of those who actually have some experience of the reality of operating in Nigeria. What's not wanted is the sort of 'we know best' attitude which most of the CHC managers had (and still have). It's sad to see the state to which this company has been brought, but it's still not too late to turn the situation around with a change in management attitude and the investment of a lot of time and money
It's important that they maintain customer confidence in their ability to continue to provide a good service, with adequate crews and spares support for the remaining fleet. It's also important that they do something to restore crew morale and stop all the best pilots and engineers deserting. many expatriates here are worried about their future and what it may mean if they have to transfer to Aero and work for a Nigerian company. One of the major problems of working for many Nigerian companies is that of getting paid on time and this will have to be addressed if people are going to think about transferring. Aero themselves will have to do something very positive in this respect as there have been many stories on different threads here about bad experiences working for Nigerian companies such as Capital Aviation, Virgin, Arik and Caverton. Confidence takes a long time to build, but it can be lost overnight.
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Old 18th Jan 2009, 11:27
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Taken Hostage....relax....help is on the way!

Nigeria militants report botched hostage rescue
By EDWARD HARRIS, Associated Press Writer Edward Harris, Associated Press Writer 1 hr 5 mins ago

LAGOS, Nigeria – Militants said Sunday that the Nigerian military botched a rescue mission aimed at liberating two British hostages held captive in Nigeria's restive southern oil region.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in an e-mail message that the overnight mission caused the militants to separate the British victims and move them deeper into the region's vast network of creeks and mangrove swamps.

The militants said the hostages weren't in the village where the military launched its attack, which the militants said left some men, women and children dead.

In a separate incident, unidentified gunmen attacked vessels near a crude-oil loading installation late Saturday and one crew member was killed, a private security official said Sunday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to company prohibitions on dealings with the news media, said the gunmen had initially tried to board an oil tanker, but turned their sites on smaller service vessels after failing to board the tanker. Some crew members were reported kidnapped, but no details were immediately available, the official said.

A military spokesman couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

The British hostages are among 27 oil workers, including five expatriates, kidnapped by militants when their vessel was hijacked Sept. 9. The other hostages were later released.

The militants are behind nearly three years of rising violence in the southern Niger Delta, where over 200 hundred foreign workers have been kidnapped. The hostages are normally released after a ransom is paid.

The militants say their deeply impoverished areas have not benefited from five decades of oil production, and they are agitating for more federally held oil funds to be sent to the southern oil states.

The government acknowledges the grievances of many in the southern Niger Delta, but denounces the militants as criminals who use their struggle as a cover to make money by stealing crude oil and selling it overseas.

Corrupt government officials, however, also siphon off and sell oil and many state-level politicians are linked to the militants and other armed gangs, whom they hire to rig elections.

Nigeria is Africa's top oil producer, but attacks on the industry's infrastructure have reduced production by almost a quarter. It is routinely ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
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Old 18th Jan 2009, 14:40
  #3387 (permalink)  
 
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I rest my case...this place sucks!!!!
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Old 23rd Jan 2009, 13:30
  #3388 (permalink)  
 
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Wow, Been a while since I have caught up here. Nice to see the same people contributing. And a few new ones trying to find out out how to get a job in Nigeria.
I would like to put my 10 cents worth in on the Eket debate. NEO is certainly correct as with others, Nigeria is not what it was 10yrs+ ago. If my memory serves me correctly there was a plan in place 12yrs ago (by Bristow) to build proper accommodation for the helicopter contractors (i.e. Bristow) right next door to the hangar in QIT. Complete with swimming pool, dining room the lot. Mmmm.. how many incidents/injuries would have been avoided over the last 10 years if that plan went ahead? Guess nobody wanted to pay for it. Looks like we are paying now.....
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Old 23rd Jan 2009, 13:32
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We can harken back to the company built accomodation at the Eket Air Strip that got bulldozed when they widened the runway....it wasn't fancy but it was a good life there for what it was.
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Old 23rd Jan 2009, 19:54
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Sorre-oooo

S92 flying albeit training.
New S76 C+ nearly finished D check
People happy.

**** this must piss people off!!!!!!!!!!
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Old 23rd Jan 2009, 21:43
  #3391 (permalink)  
 
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Anyone keeping up with the whereabouts of the "Twins"?

Newspaper claims suspect transformed into a goat
Jan 23 04:38 PM US/Eastern


LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - One of Nigeria's biggest daily newspapers reported that police implicated a goat in an attempted automobile theft. In a front-page article on Friday, the Vanguard newspaper said that two men tried to steal a Mazda car two days earlier in Kwara State, with one suspect transforming himself into a goat as vigilantes cornered him.

The paper quoted police spokesman Tunde Mohammed as saying that while one suspect escaped, the other transformed into a goat as he was about to be apprehended.

The newspaper reported that police paraded the goat before journalists, and published a picture of the animal.

Police in the state couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
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Old 24th Jan 2009, 07:41
  #3392 (permalink)  

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Happy ?

biggestboy,

Has the Lagos brain change started ? Who is happy ? Which people ?

You have been down the line, albeit in a cage. You at least have a sort of idea what is happening on the operations. And happiness isn't happening !!

NEO
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Old 24th Jan 2009, 11:08
  #3393 (permalink)  
 
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Hey guys, I work in Eket and I am happy.
Guess why?
I am on leave, ha ha.
Trouble is, I have to go back, bugger.
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Old 24th Jan 2009, 13:28
  #3394 (permalink)  
 
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How many pilots got laid off at ACN/CHC?

Is it true they have sent four aircraft out of country"

Heard a rumour a 139, 2-S76's and a 365-N3 have left Nigeria....any truth to that?

If Calverton brings in the four Bell 412's.....are they headed to Eket?

What kind of work does Evergreen/Virgin have lined up?

They hiring?
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Old 24th Jan 2009, 14:15
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but there is an upside...ever once in a while

The grapevine has it that some incompetent Watumbaah got bumped after destroying some decklighting, and then tried to cover it up. Well done, mate
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Old 24th Jan 2009, 14:40
  #3396 (permalink)  
 
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SASless

3 aircratf are gone already 139,76;N3 another 76 will go soon

12 pilots got laid off in december and since a few more have resigned

Evergreen is Lagos (with ex ACN/CHC pilot), they talk to oil companies and should bring some 139 and 412 but no contract yet
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Old 24th Jan 2009, 21:36
  #3397 (permalink)  
 
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SAS,

Morale at Aero still very low and even EC225 crew are now resigning - one guy even turned down an EC225 course and has just joined Bristow.

Caverton are planning to operate Twinned Ooters between Warri and the Forcados strip. As for their 412s . Who will fly them? They have no pilots left with any credibility - except in screwing things up and/or trying to cover them up.

Neverpay are making lots of big talk but their newly hired big oga has little real experience in Nigeria and no experience of running contracts. Rumor has it that agip and Total were less than impressed at the presentations they were given - even though they're not particularly happy with Aero right now. They're talking about a couple 412s and a bunch of 139s but it'll cost them a fortune to have those sitting round at a book value of $50 mil plus with no work and no hangar. Let's see, but Nabil and Mani should chew them up for breakfast. One thing they do have on their side is that they're rumored to be paying top $$$, so with the unhappy state of aero/CHC they may well attract a few guys to cross over.

With so may pilots laid off and those who have quit Aero may now be getting short of pilots to man their existing contracts. I wonder how many of those they 'let go' would be willing to come back if asked.

Interesting times, but unsettling and not very happy for all but a few - including 'biggest' it seems.
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Old 25th Jan 2009, 01:30
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They have no pilots left with any credibility - except in screwing things up and/or trying to cover them up.
Sounds like some Bristow management staff I know!
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Old 26th Jan 2009, 15:16
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What's going on with these ads? I've seen ads from at least three operators who need pilots ASAP! So I write to them with what I think is a decent CV (3,700-plus hours, lots of unaided night, twin-engines, an instructor ticket) and never a thing do I hear.

Are they really there, or are they just testing to see if they could get responses if someday there might be actual jobs?

Or could you suggest an outfit to contact? I wrote to Caverton yesterday. Impressive website, they have.
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Old 26th Jan 2009, 18:09
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Caverton ?!?!?!?!?!

Have you read this thread?
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