It is a fact that, members of the Nigerian Ship Owners Association (NISA) have been nursing a discreet acrimony against one another since the emergence of the current leadership of the association under Otunba Sola Adewunmi.

The acrimony stems from events preceding the emergence of the present executives of the association. A pressure group within the association which called itself the ‘Integrity Group’ came up shortly after the elections which produced Adewunmi and faulted the outcome of the election of executives.

The Integrity Group was formed by some members of the NISA on the basis of picking holes in the alleged anomalies in the elections.

Expressing their displeasure, members of the group had insisted that reversing the elections might be an option to set the association back on the path of credibility.

Even though they are thought to be just three, our findings revealed that they represent a dissatisfied group of members of the association.

Their grievances and the sharp division in the association again came to the fore recently, when an issue as innocuous as a congratulatory message that was forwarded to the association’s Whatsapp platform has reignited acrimonies.

On account of the message that was sent to the new minister of Marine and Blue Economy by a group within the NISA, some members are currently engaged in a bitter feud over the removal of three members from the association’s WhatsApp group.

It is apparent that the three members were removed because of posting a congratulatory message on the association’s WhatsApp platform.

To confirm the rancor, the President of NISA; Otunba Sola Adewunmi, in response to the removal, explained that the trio of Captain Kola Raheem, Captain Taiwo Akinpelumi, and another member were removed,

He however denied that they were removed for sending congratulatory messages, but for forming an unauthorized subgroup within the association. He claimed that this subgroup, which is known as the “Integrity Group” is detrimental to the association’s progress.

We recall that it is this same pressure group within NISA that faulted the outcome of the election that threw up the current leadership of the association.

We recall also that the Integrity Group pointedly called for a cancellation of the elections. This, it said might be an option to set the association back on the path of credibility.

The Nigerian Ship Owners Association has gone through a lot. Until the elections that brought in Capt Niyi Labinjo as the President of the association in 2014, there used to be only one body for Nigerian ship owners.

For many years, the Indigenous Shipowners Association (ISAN), which later became NISA served as the only body of indigenous ship owners under the headship of Chief Isaac Jolapamo.

Sadly, the association split into different groups after its first election which held on 24 October 2014.

The polarization led to some ship owners led by Engr Greg Ogbeifun to form a new association called Shipowners Association of Nigeria (SOAN) in April 2015.

After SOAN broke away, NISA also broke further, with Alhaji Aminu Umar leading one faction and Capt Labinjo leading what is left of the once-united body.

We went this far to remind members of the association how far the association has gone down, before it was resuscitated.

Rather than dissipating energy on in-fighting, NISA should focus more on regaining its status as the main body for all indigenous ship owners in the country.

Its claim to having the highest number of ship owners becomes puerile in the midst of internal wrangling which erodes the camaraderie and unity that it requires.

A united NISA will serve the cause of ship owners and seafarers than a divided house. The creation called ‘Integrity Group’ is a distraction to the executives of the association.

Rather than continue to create challenges and obstacles in the match towards recovery, NISA needs the support of all its members.

However, the current leadership should also be more receptive to opposition from within. The worries that are being expressed by the ‘Integrity Group’ should not be discountenanced by the executives.

Perhaps, the first step is to integrate the group into the workings of NISA and open the space to all members. The leadership of the association should embrace inclusiveness, understanding that, those who kick against a certain action may not necessarily love the association less than those who currently run it.

We recall what an unknown member of the ‘Integrity Group’ once told this newspaper, when he was asked what the group actually wanted. He said, the group “is just concerned with everything being done based on integrity and the constitution must be followed”.

And he asked: “If there is in-fighting due to a lack of integrity and straightforwardness in doing things; who will respect the association?”

We leave the association’s handlers with those posers from the group that is up in arms against the status quo and the modus operandi in the association.

Similarly, the group that went to court should also back down from litigation. What NISA needs right now is for all hands to be on deck to bring the association back on its feet, and mindless litigations will derail it.