BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has distanced itself from a statement opposing the proposed reduction in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s (NCAA) share of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), saying the position was issued without the approval of its National Executive Council (NEC).
The union said the statement, which was widely reported in the media, originated from officials of its NCAA Branch and should not be regarded as the official position of the national body on the proposed amendment to the revenue-sharing formula for aviation agencies.
The clarification followed reports quoting NAAPE as warning that reducing the NCAA’s statutory allocation from 56 per cent to 40 per cent could weaken aviation safety oversight and erode the financial independence of the aviation regulator.
The earlier statement, jointly signed by the chairman and secretary of the NCAA Branch, had urged lawmakers to reject the proposed funding cut and instead increase the NCAA’s statutory allocation.
However, NAAPE’s national leadership said the branch exceeded its mandate by making public pronouncements on a matter with national policy implications.
The President of NAAPE, Bunmi Gindeh, said branch executive committees are responsible for managing the affairs and welfare of members within their respective organisations and do not have the authority to issue policy positions on behalf of the association.
“The National Executive Council of NAAPE wishes to state clearly that the position being circulated in the media did not emanate from the national leadership and should not be presented as the official position of the association,” Gindeh said.
He explained that the association operates a clearly defined structure that assigns different responsibilities to its national and branch executive bodies.
“The statutory responsibility of a branch executive committee is to manage the affairs of members within its branch. Issues relating to national policies, legislative engagements and matters with sector-wide implications are handled by the national leadership of the association,” he added.
Also speaking, NAAPE’s Public Relations Officer, Blessing N. Ahmadu, said the clarification became necessary because media reports had portrayed the NCAA Branch’s position as that of the entire association.
“The NCAA Branch did not seek or obtain the authorisation of the National Executive Council before issuing the statement. Its contents, therefore, cannot be attributed to the national leadership of NAAPE,” Ahmadu said.
She stressed the need to distinguish between statements issued by a branch and those approved by the association’s national leadership.
“A branch statement and the official position of the National Executive Council are not the same and should not be conflated. We urge the media and our industry stakeholders to take note of this distinction when reporting positions attributed to NAAPE,” she said.
The national leadership also cautioned branch executives against making public statements on national policy issues without following the union’s established internal processes.
It maintained that while branches are free to raise issues affecting their members’ welfare, positions on broader aviation policy must be approved by the National Executive Council before being presented as NAAPE’s official stance.
NAAPE reaffirmed its commitment to engaging the Federal Government, aviation agencies, lawmakers and other stakeholders on issues affecting aviation professionals, adding that any official position on the proposed amendment to the statutory revenue-sharing formula would be communicated through its authorised national channels.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
