BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
Captain Bunmi Gindeh of the National Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has been elected the new president of the National Association of Air Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).
He defeated his rival, Francis Igwe, an aircraft engineer with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The election, which was held on Friday, September 27 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, saw Gindeh poll 51 votes against Igwe’s 17.
Other positions were also keenly contested. Mudi Muhammad, an aircraft engineer at Arik Air, emerged as national deputy president unopposed, while Adewale Adenugba was returned for a second term as first trustee.
Edwin Udoh won the seat of financial secretary, Blessing Ahmadu was elected publicity secretary, while Michael Nicholas clinched the position of second trustee.
In his acceptance remarks, Gindeh expressed deep appreciation to his predecessor, Abednego Galadima, for laying a solid foundation for the association.
“I must commend my predecessor, Abednego Galadima, for taking the initiative to set up a training institute. It was an amazing idea and we will work very hard to utilise that facility to meet with international standards.
He performed well and we owe him a lot of gratitude,” he said. He also reflected on the campaign that brought him victory, noting that it was a collective effort.
“There was an intensive campaign before now but we went to all the various chapters and spoke to them on why they should vote for us. We are a team. It wasn’t just me, the deputy president was the engine room of my campaign and I appreciate the work he put in,” he explained.
Outlining his plans, the new NAAPE president pledged to pursue improved welfare for members and enhanced professionalism within the association.
“During the campaign, we talked about the welfare of our members and we would be pushing for standardised contracts across board like we have abroad. We are also going to advocate for safety for our members. We will also improve our secretariat so that it can be up to date,” he said.
On concerns that pilots may be too engaged in their professional duties to handle union responsibilities, Gindeh stressed that delegation would be key.
“One of the issues that came up during the campaign was that pilots would not have the time to carry out union functions but the beautiful thing which I have learned is to delegate responsibilities to my team. We would get more done that way. I was in the NCAA but was seconded to the NSIB, so my chapter is the NSIB. The public service rule is very clear on that,” he added.
His deputy, Mudi Muhammad, described his election as an opportunity to contribute to NAAPE’s growth under a visionary leader.
“I want to work with Captain Gindeh because he has a big vision for NAAPE. The outgoing leadership has done their best, and we are grateful to them. We are going to build on the foundation they have laid. You can see that we don’t have many pilots in the association but he has said that his goal is to bring in more pilots,” Muhammad said.
In the spirit of sportsmanship, Igwe, who lost out at the polls, congratulated Gindeh and pledged to work with him to ensure unity in the association.
“I congratulate Capt. Gindeh and will work to ensure that the association remains united,” he said.
For his part, the outgoing president, Galadima, urged the new leadership to focus on strengthening harmony within NAAPE, describing unity as the cornerstone of progress.
“My appeal to the new leadership is to work for the unity of this association. Together, we can take NAAPE to greater heights,” he remarked.
With the election concluded and a new leadership in place, NAAPE enters a fresh chapter. For Gindeh, the mandate is clear: to consolidate on past gains, raise the bar of members’ welfare, and deepen the association’s role in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
