The Minister of State for Defense, Mohammed Bello Matawalle, has expressed optimism that with Caverton Helicopters facilities and achievements, Nigerians no longer need to travel abroad for its aviation-related procurement, maintenance and training.

The minister stated this during his facility tour of the company’s MRO Training Centre and AW-139 as well as AW-109 Flight Simulators at its Ikeja training centre located in Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos last Friday.

According to the minister, Caverton has the capacity to serve as the hub for aviation maintenance and training in Nigeria.

Speaking about his impression after the tour of the facilities, Matawalle, who was appalled, said: “I am simply happy and excited with what l have seen today. For an indigenous company to have invested so much on these facilities, I am speechless. With the facilities on ground, Caverton, no doubt, has become a hub for the Nigerian Aviation sector and other sectors.

“With what they have done, we will be able to handle our things on our own. We don’t have to be going abroad to maintain our facilities. The commitment, dedication to duties I saw in these young men is profound. I am excited and impressed. No doubt, the forward-looking company has supported the local content with popular cliché, Caverton is built in Nigeria, made in Nigeria for Nigerians.”

According to the Minister, “I have heard about Caverton, its world-class simulator and its wonders in the Nigerian Aviation sector. Like the popular cliché, ‘seeing is believing’. Today, I am excited and I was talking to the CEO, that with this, we don’t have to take our aircraft maintenance abroad because with Caverton, we have everything.

“With this, we will have a collaboration between the Caverton and the Military Industrial Complex as the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force and even the Army don’t have to go abroad for procurement of any aircraft or maintenance.

“I have seen the MRO section and I am so excited that the spare parts they have on ground are of international standard.

The defense minister, who is the immediate past Governor of Zamfara State, saluted the management, adding that: “I can assure you that the Ministry of Defence will work hand-in-hand with Caverton to make sure that we build Nigeria. And with the Renewed Hope of Mr. President, the Ministry of Defence will work and support you in moving this country forward.

“I see talented young boys going through training and with the strong management team that Caverton put in place, I believe that this place will be a hub for the Nigerian Aviation.”

Welcoming the minister earlier, the Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Rotimi Makanjuola, presented the special guest with information about Caverton Offshore Support Group, touching on its two subsidiaries namely, the Caverton Marine, which he said launched recently 15 locally built 40-passenger ferries from its boatyard, built in partnership with Lagos State Government, and then Caverton Helicopters.

The subsidiary visited, Caverton Helicopters, he said has its components namely the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) including the Aircraft Maintenance Hangar, Engineering Workshops, Spray Booth, Bonded Store, UAV Ground School.

The COO told the guest that Caverton Offshore Support Group, which is listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange, “takes great pride in being the leading offshore support logistics company in Nigeria” with its subsidiaries, Caverton Marine and Caverton Helicopters, equally positioned as leaders in their respective fields.

“Caverton Marine started out in 1999 as a vessel owner, operator and recently diversified into designing and building GRP boats ranging from passenger ferries to security boats.
“Caverton Helicopters Limited is the largest indigenous aviation logistics support company in Nigeria, with over two decades of experience providing rotary and fixed wing services to the oil and gas industry. We currently operate a mixed fleet of aircraft across multiple locations in Nigeria and West Africa.”

One of the key achievements of the company, he said, was establishment of the MRO facility that he described as the only world-class in sub-Saharan Africa, right on ground in Lagos, Nigeria.

According to him, “This facility has allowed us to deliver light and heavy maintenance, repair, and overhaul services to our clients. We are honoured to have had the opportunity to serve the Nigerian Navy, Airforce, and other government agencies, ensuring the safety and reliability of their aircraft.”

He disclosed that the Caverton Aviation Training Centre houses the first-ever full reality AW-139 simulator as well as the AW-109 simulator that was only recently commissioned by Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

“These simulators enable us to provide comprehensive and realistic training to our pilots, ensuring the highest standards of safety and operational excellence. We hope that the minister will have a memorable and enlightening experience during his planned first flight in the AW-139 simulator.”

He attributed the company’s landmark achievements to strong belief and commitment to “innovation, professionalism, safety and unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction. We are proud of our achievements and the positive impact we have made in the Nigerian aviation and maritime sectors,” the COO said.

He said: “With the MRO we do a lot of our maintenance here. The only thing we don’t do is the engine. We are proud to say that we run the only AW-109 Flight Simulator in the whole of Africa. People come from as far as Turkey and other places to train with our simulator because there are no many simulators of this type in the world.”

According to Rotimi Makanjuola, by local content, “Some of our trained pilots are flying in Saudi Arabia and other countries. We don’t like to see them going away but, then, we also like to see them progressing,” he concluded and then declared commencement of the tour to conduct the minister round the facilities.

The visit was to showcase what Caverton is doing for Nigeria and Africa in the aviation sector. Since its inception, the company has been a game changer as its enormous contributions have changed the face of aviation in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Mr. Olabode Makanjuola, thanked the minister for taking out time to tour Caverton facilities.

“We hope you have seen today, the Nigerian spirit of entrepreneurship. With what we have in Nigeria in terms of human capital, we have what it takes to develop our own country. We look forward to working with you closely, the Ministry of Defence and the Nigerian Armed Forces.”

Other officials of the company on ground to receive the minister included Director of Strategy, Niyi Makanjuola; Managing Director of Caverton Helicopters, Captain Ibrahim Bello; Director of Quality and Safety, Caverton Helicopters, Mr. Kofo Macaulay; Director of Corporate Services, Mr. Ayodele Omueti among others.