The appointment of Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku as the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has spurred a new dawn in the agency.
For Kuku, the appointment is a testament to her preparation, patriotism, and professionalism. In the last 25 years, Kuku has held executive roles that require transformational leadership in achieving its growth objectives while delivering enterprise value and returns to industry key stakeholders.
Kuku’s job at FAAN is simple yet daunting. Her emergence as the new boss in FAAN has continued to gather accolades from industry stakeholders, who are aware of Kuku’s professional experience over the last 25 years.
From George Uriesi to Captain Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu and Kabir Yusuf Mohammed, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has had a number of MDs. However Kuku’s emergence is said to be one of the writings on the wall for a new dawn, change and global practices.
She has a strong track record of professional achievement in the public and private sectors in Nigeria and across Africa. She joins a growing list of accomplished female professionals whose hands are on deck to turn Nigeria around.
She’s neither new to the agency she has found herself nor the sector where she currently has the job of managing Nigerian owned airports across the states. For 4 years, between 2011 and 2014, Kuku took her time to understudy the aviation industry as a Special Adviser to the Minister of Aviation at that time.
Her experience in the public sector also saw Kuku working at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as the General Manager, Business Development & Investment. In the four years she worked at NAMA, she was tasked with increasing the revenue base for NAMA from both Aeronautical and Non-Aeronautical sources, developing and implementing strategic plans to enhance NAMA’s business development efforts, aligning actions with the agency’s overall objectives while analysing market trends, identifying emerging opportunities, and formulating strategies to capitalize on them.
There is no doubt that she understands and knows the Nigerian aviation sector like the back of her palm. She understands the industry and is well aware of the agency’s challenges, as well as opportunities.