After over 20 years of division and bickering, the Estate Rent and Commission Agents Association of Nigeria has officially reconciled and will now operate as a unified body.

The protracted leadership crisis was said to have had a negative impact on the growth of the association, while it has also encouraged indiscipline and other sharp practices.

The former pioneer national president of the association and a member of the Board of Trustees, Alhaji Isa Agbaje, has, however, said that a new dawn is on the horizon for the association with the determination of the organisation to now operate under one leadership.

He disclosed this when the National Reconciliation Committee Chairman of the association, Mr Oluwatoyin Dare, presented his report to the association stakeholders in Abeokuta.

Agbaje, while speaking with the journalists, emphasised the importance of unity in any setting, saying that its absence is always a drawback in achieving the essence of any organisation.

He said, “We are all more than happy with the report of this reconciliation committee; it is the best because this association has been divided since 2003. We have now reconciled, and the association is one.

“You talked about the unnecessary increase in rents, commissions and agreements as well as some unscrupulous few among us.

“Disunity encourages indiscipline; it is an opportunity for some people to do as they like, but all of this is coming to an end now that we have a united house; we shall embark on a lot of sanitisation efforts to ensure that we address some of these sharp practices.”

Agbaje urged those who are still aggrieved to come around and join forces with other members to move the association forward.

On his part, the former Lagos State Chairman of ERCAAN, Mr Johnson Ajikan, also hailed the good work of the reconciliation committee, saying that it has opened a new window of progress and further greatness of the association.

Ajikan said, “You can see that we are all happy with the report of this reconciliation committee set up in 2023 to bring everyone under the same umbrella.

“We give kudos to this committee and say that everyone is also ready to move the association to the next level. We have already inaugurated a nine-man electoral committee that will be going from one state to another to conduct elections for executives of the association.

“We sincerely urge that those who are still aggrieved come on board and team up with us to take this association to higher heights.”

Earlier, the chairman of the reconciliation committee, Mr Emmanuel Toyin, presented the committee’s report to members of the association while also emphasising the need for everyone to work for the unity of the association.