Fresh tension is brewing in the aviation sector as senior officials of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and other industry stakeholders have raised strong objections to what they describe as an attempt to centralise union leadership under the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

In an open letter circulated across the industry on Friday, the group alleged that ongoing manoeuvres were aimed at ensuring that the next leadership of ATSSSAN emerges from FAAN.

This, they noted, comes even though the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), two major unions in the sector, are currently headed by FAAN personnel.

The signatories warned that allowing another FAAN official to lead ATSSSAN would create “a dangerous monopoly” and undermine the diverse representation on which aviation labour unions are founded.

The letter was jointly signed by Comrade Aderemi Adeerinkomi, Chairman of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) ATSSSAN branch; Comrade Ekip Eso, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) branch; and Comrade Henry Okon, Secretary of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc branch.

The group stressed that ATSSSAN was established as a national union representing senior staff across all aviation agencies, including NAMA, NCAA, FAAN, airlines, and allied service providers, and not as an extension of any single agency.

“The entire aviation workforce cannot be placed under the control or influence of one agency. Aviation is not FAAN, and unionism is not FAAN,” the letter stated.

They warned that a union structure dominated by one agency could distort representation, suppress minority voices, skew collective bargaining, and weaken labour solidarity in the sector.

The concerned workers also questioned the basis for the alleged push for FAAN dominance, asking whether the agency contributed more to the union’s finances or faced more labour issues than others.

They urged aviation workers across all agencies to reject any attempt to position FAAN as the sole power centre of labour leadership, insisting that upcoming elections must remain transparent, inclusive, and reflective of the entire industry.

“This fight is not against FAAN, but against a dangerous precedent in labour leadership,” they added.

Elections into various ATSSSAN offices are scheduled for December 10 in Jos, Plateau State. (The Guardian)

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