By Frank Meke
Like the rain, the much awaited national elections of the prestigious National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) is here. It is predictively exciting, and temperatures are running quite high. That can be premised from two, and if I may add three perspectives.
The first is that a woman led the association out of a dangerous bend, succoured it from the covid pandemic, and gave it a shoulder through a debilitating and unprecedented airfare hike ever witnessed in the history of travel trade in Nigeria and strategically pursued clinical options for more strings of income for everyone.
The second is also that a woman is at the threshold of history and has raused a nation and people, once neglected but now sought-after, to stand out and possess their future with their own hands.
The third flows like a sweet smelling chocolate bar. This same woman, Susan Akporiaye, at the turn of another century and on Friday, April 26th, will hand over the NANTA baton, not sword to a new leader in peace and not in disarray. Let me add, NANTA women leaders, at least the two we witnessed in fifty years of NANTA existence, were phenomenal. My opinion!
Now, if you are reading this and you are a bona-fide member of NANTA, historically centric and a truth seeker, then I have an assignment for you.
Your assignment is to first decide if you are within the parameters of effortlessly determining who and why you are in the business of travel trade and also gain an insight into where you should be in five or ten years from now.
Secondly, if the barriers to free and unhindered trade ethics are unbundled, would you willingly participate in future NANTA elections and vote for a leader to sustain legacies and offer you opportunities to trade as an equal and not as a bystander.?
It is important that we engage in this assignment together because we are all stakeholders, but you have a greater stake because you have the power to vote, and I don’t.
My business is to hold you and the leaders you may choose through your own hands, accountable. After the elections on Friday, your decisions, your votes for your tomorrow in the ever dynamic sector, will either bear good fruits or give you rotten apples.
I will pray that you sit back, clear your eyes and ears, well, well and make choices that will upvote your business and make you a proud and successful professional. If you are blinded by tricky, I command you in Jesus’ name to see through the same lies.
In Nigeria, we go to elections mostly blinded by emotions. Often, we know and could determine the red flags, and yet we fall into the holes dug by our emotions, wrong emotions powered up by voices of deception and trickery.
It’s a sure bet that if you are willing and courageous to contribute to the growth of NANTA and build your business at your pace, i will advise you to go into deep search of all those who will be presenting themselves for the elective offices in the association.
An interesting electoral process in NANTA is that all positions are self standing and determined. The team or leadership is not aligned to a party or group structure as the case with Nigeria political system. So, each office seeker stands alone, speaks for self, and with focal agenda. There is no hiding place for mosquitoes and masquerades.
In this election, each role player must come with clean hands and slates . It would, therefore, do NANTA voting members well to appraise the credentials of each contestant with clean specks and ruffle feathers where necessary because your business and future counts. In fact, vote out strange legs without mercy, or they will swallow your business.
I won’t deceive you , so don’t come to the election, thinking it’s party time. There will be tough horse trading, and don’t ever think you can’t be bought. They will buy today and ignore your cries tomorrow. Be warned!
The merchants of your soul, the slave masters will offer you mouth-watering incentives. What they can’t give you as a “sub” agent will be offered to you on a cleverly wrapped package, a time bomb as a handout.
I must confess that the introduction of money politics in recent times in NANTA, if not checked and ambushed at this crucial election, will turn NANTA into a synagogue of Satan in the nearest future.
It’s a sad commentary that in itself erodes the growth of professionalism and makes mockery of the avowed commitment and vision of nanta founding fathers. The question we must ask those who pronounce these skewed options is what will be their gains?
No doubt, dominance through subterfuge and vain values to socioeconomic advantages drives the horrendous winds of pecuniary inducement and persuasion to others. Many have been made weak and simplistic because they can’t see the hands of Satan behind such offerings.
To the giver and receiver, the same judgment of shame and ignominy must be handed over to them at this election, and the people must be set free by their votes.
Now, let the contestants speak and marshall their agenda for NANTA for the next two years. Start with the presidential hopefuls. I should believe you know them. I won’t mention names, so go find out who they are and what they stand for. Engage them and don’t fall for words of paid saints. Vote your conscience and for your business. That’s why you are a nanta member.
Grab the manifestos, the brief and blue prints of each of the contestants, and ask questions. Throw your emotions and sentiments away. Let reason and wisdom prevail.
Listen and hear out the famed” elders,” but ask yourself if they will help put food on your table and mend all your troubles. Trust the leader (s) with a history of identifying problems and proferring solutions. Don’t fall for technological deceit, but run with a leader with brains to make you a change agent.
Down the slope, vote the deputies based on visibility and performance. Pedigrees to have served diligently and in harmony with others will count. Don’t stand behind or cast your votes for unstable characters, fiendish sloganists of emi lokun( it’s my turn) , and jesters with borrowed academic and professional titles.
Be bold to shut down the voices of power seekers without affirmation by their local stakeholders. The centre in NANTA can not hold if its member bodies are blind folded.
In all , vote out pride and arrogance. Don’t vote for businesses built on borrowed funds. They are usually not the best models to follow. We have seen many of such in past crash out of the system. They may rebrand, but their DNA still the same.
I wish you all a tough but interesting election. Certainly, we on this side of the divide can’t vote. Recently, one sheepish fellow with an over bloated self-worth, a notable industry judas, seeking to be heard, took to Facebook “voting,”and endorsing vanities instead of vision of a particular contestant. Apparently, the fellow who is far from NANTA space forgot that achievements are not measured in castles and cash at hand but by thoughts and visions for the next generation. Those who procured such poisonious elements as their campaign hands certainly don’t deserve to be mentioned in nanta Hall of Fame.
Where is the place of God in NANTA and its future? To Him who is ever merciful, may NANTA come out of this election, stronger and better!
