The Chairman of CITA Energies, Dr Thomas Ogungbangbe, has recounted how the indigenous aviation fuel supplier grew from a modest business operated from his living room and car boot into an enterprise with facilities valued at nearly $200m.

Ogungbangbe spoke at the company’s 20th anniversary celebration held at the Grandeur Event Centre, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday.

He said the company had expanded its operations to 17 airports across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, while its international aviation fuel supply network now spanned several continents.

“CITA started right inside my living room and my car,” he recalled, explaining that company documents were initially kept in the boot and back seats of his vehicle.

“Today, the company has grown to become the largest indigenous aviation fuel company by facilities in Nigeria and West Africa,” he said.

Ogungbangbe attributed the growth to resilience, supportive government policies, strategic partnerships and the commitment of employees who helped the company navigate Nigeria’s challenging business environment.

He said aviation fuel supply required round-the-clock operations, regardless of weekends and public holidays, because aircraft depended on uninterrupted access to fuel.

“As long as aircraft are flying in the sky, you must be on the ground pumping fuel,” he said.

The chairman also recalled how changes in government petroleum policies created opportunities for indigenous businesses to enter an industry previously dominated by multinational oil companies.

CITA emerged in 2006 following Ogungbangbe’s involvement in an earlier aviation fuel business associated with what later became part of the Sahara Group.

A documentary screened at the anniversary traced the company’s growth from its first operational base in Port Harcourt to a network of aviation fuel facilities across Nigeria.

Ogungbangbe said the milestone would not have been possible without the contributions of the company’s pioneering employees, successive management teams, customers and business partners.

He recalled the difficult conditions under which the early employees worked, sometimes enduring heavy rain and intense sunshine while establishing the business.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, was represented at the event by his Special Adviser, Janet Oputa.

Other dignitaries included the Managing Director of Ibom Air, George Uriesi; the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of United Nigeria Airlines, Rapheal Uchegbu; and CITA Energies’ Managing Director, Titilayo Olaore.

Traditional rulers at the event included the Alapomu of Apomu, Oba Kayode Adenekan Afolabi, Atoyebi II; the Owaloko of Iloko-Ijesa, Oba Akeem Olusayo Ogungbangbe, Ajagbusi-Ekun VI; the Oniyaomebi of Olorunsogo, Ijesaland, Oba Oluwaseun Oniyaomebi; and the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdur-Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi, Odundun IV.