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By Chinelo Obogo
A presidential aspirant in the upcoming Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) election, John Ogbe, has condemned what he describes as a campaign to exclude staff of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from vying for the union’s top position.
Ogbe, who serves as the Secretary of the ATSSSAN FAAN chapter, argued that the focus of the campaign should be on the competence, capacity and character of aspirants, not on who their employer is. He expressed his dismay and disappointment that “non-issues” are being discussed instead of issues that affect the union.
In the run up to the election, there has been controversy on the issue on why the presidents of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and ATSSSAN should all come from FAAN, but Ogbe who recently spoke to aviation reporters stated that the right to lead is earned through democratic engagement and financial contribution. He also noted that the three unions have different objectives, principles and ideologies.
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He recalled that branches from other agencies, such as the defunct WT, Aero Contractors, the Nigeian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), have produced ATSSSAN presidents through “proper canvassing, persuasive engagement, and respect,” not through dominance.
Ogbe said that FAAN’s significant financial contributions to the union have never been used to undermine this democratic process and questioned the logic behind attempting to curtail the influence of FAAN members, who are major financial contributors through their check-off dues.
“Tell me then, are the ATSSSAN members in FAAN paying their check-off dues to ANAP or NUATE? If indeed their contributions form part of ATSSSAN’s financial backbone, why should their rightful influence and participation be curtailed or questioned?” he argued.
The aspirant also issued a caution against what he perceives as a decline in civility within the union’s politics. He warned that “canvassing, persuasion, and civil engagement, which were once the backbone of ATSSSAN’s electoral culture, must not be replaced with intimidation, arrogance, or entitlement.”
He called the argument to exclude FAAN staff “a defeatist one, an aberration, an untenable and hollow argument that cannot stand under the weight of fairness, logic, or truth.” He urged a return to the union’s values of unity and mutual respect, saying that every qualified contender should present their manifesto and allow the members to decide.
