Aviation
Nigerians applaud, Onyema, Air Peace man
By YUSUF MOHAMMED
Mr. Allen Onyema is the man of the moment as Nigerians across board have been applauding him for his heroic effort last week when volunteered his airline, Air Peace, to evacuated Nigerians from South Africa over the xenophobic attacks. He subsequently sent a -380 capacity aircraft to lift Nigerians out of the country.
Onyema is the founder and CEO of Air Peace Airlines. Since his action, he has been trending positively on all social media platforms, especially Twitter. Apart from social media, since the emotional event of last week, anywhere two or more people are gathered, the name “Allen Onyema” comes up.
BusinessHallmark gathered that the median flight came in with only 187 passengers out of the initial 350 who had earlier boarded the flight. However, while the plane was taxiing for take- off it was stopped by the South African authorities who subsequently ordered over 200 passengers to disembark for lack of proper travel documents. This followed a three day delay of the flight in South Africa, which cost the airline N300 million.
This development has caused many Nigerians to heap praises on Onyema. Some have gone as far as pledging to make Air Peace their official flying company.
In an emotional video that is trended on social media, the Air Peace CEO was seen crying as he received the 187 returnees from South Africa at the Lagos airport. According to Onyema, he wept when he heard his compatriots singing the national anthem.
He said “I put together over N280 million, in order to bring these people back. Air Peace decided to bring them free of charge, nobody paid us a dime, we decided to do it free of charge for our country and for our people.
“When I stepped inside the aircraft to welcome them, they mobbed me and started singing the Nigerian national anthem, there was nobody there singing about separation, they felt proud to be Nigerian, they rose in unison; that drew tears from me.”
Nigerians have expressed satisfaction, hailing him for airlifting all those who indicated interest, not minding their ethnic and religious affiliations. BusinessHallmark observed that more people have followed Air Peace official Twitter handle (@flyAirPeace), since the event.
A twitter user with the handle @Coolmajor, wrote, “Allen is the owner of air peace who took his plane to South Africa to evacuate Nigerians. I hope he gets the honour he deserves.”
Success Idowu @Idowu553 said “Over 600 Nigerians are on their way from SA. The first batch of the returnees have arrived Lagos. The second batch will be airlifted tomorrow free of charge by Air Peace airline. One man volunteered to send his aircraft to Johannesburg to bring our stranded brothers and sisters back home.”
@Ikenna tweeted, “Mr Allen Onyema, CEO of Air Peace, an Igbo man from Mbosi in Anambra State, airlifting Nigerians in SA back home at no extra cost. This is what the government has failed to do. Mr. Allen Onyema, may your source never run dry.”
@Omarion_alexi wrote: “Shout out to Mr. Allen Onyema, chairman of air peace for going out of his way to fund the flight to bring back our brothers form South Africa. We need more love. He is the real MVP.”
The Anambra State government also praised Onyema, for what it called his unprecedented patriotic gesture in bringing back nearly 200 Nigerians free of charge from South Africa in the wake of the ongoing xenophobic attacks against African and Asian immigrants in the rainbow nation.
The commendation was contained in a statement on Thursday in Awka, the Anambra State capital, by the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, who explained that the government decided to commend Mr. Onyema after a meeting in the Governor’s Lodge which Governor Willie Obiano presided.
Adinuba explained that the “huge humanitarian gesture is the latest in a series of philanthropic activities by the Air Peace chairman which Governor Obiano recognized in his public declaration last July 2 when he stated that Mr Onyema was driven by sheer patriotism rather than profit by starting direct flights into Shirjah and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates at less than 50% of the tariffs charged by foreign carriers”.
The Anambra State government noted that “no persons, not even our suffering and frightened people in South Africa, sought free flights when Chief Onyema decided to offer one of his planes to the former apartheid country to bring our distressed people home at no charge to them.
“The flight must have cost him millions of naira in view of the fact that the machine spent an additional two nights in at Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, causing the airline to pay more to the South African aviation authorities.
“We also note that Chief Onyema didn’t know any of the persons he lifted all the way from Johannesburg free. He was only moved by sheer patriotism and love of humanity, especially the downtrodden and the distressed.
“As is already well known, Chief Onyema went into airline business five years ago to create jobs for Nigerians, enhance business opportunities in the industry for our citizens and enhance Nigeria’s presence in global business.
“He exemplifies the principle of solidarity with the human family and commitment to the common good”.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama also joined the long list of those who have applauded Onyema for bringing his fellow Nigerians home.
“178 Nigerians have willingly been successfully evacuated from South Africa. I applaud the Proprietor and Management of Air Peace Airlines for the successful evacuation of the first batch which arrived Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos at 9:23pm on Wednesday 11th September,” the minister said via his twitter handle @GeoffreyOnyeama
“I also commend the laudable initiative by Chief Allen Onyema, proprietor of Air Peace Airlines. I assure Nigerians that the FG will continue to support and protect lives and properties of Nigerians in diaspora. Let me also appeal to Nigerians in South Africa to remain calm and patient as the FG is engaging relevant stakeholders towards finding permanent measures to stop the crisis.”
Unfortunately, Air Peace on Thursday suspended further evacuation of Nigerians in South Africa until the remaining voluntary returnees have been cleared and released by the host government. Onyema, who disclosed this, however, said Air Peace would deploy staff and equipment to South Africa once it receives approval from the Nigerian High Commission in the country.
The airline was supposed to make a return to South Africa on Thursday to evacuate the second batch, but with the restrictions and alleged arrests of prospective returnees by the South African Immigration, the next evacuation has been delayed until further notice.
The Air Peace CEO disclosed that the Boeing 777 aircraft went to South Africa to pick about 320 passengers but the South African government, through its immigration officials, frustrated them.
“The Nigerian High commission informed us that they had over 700 Nigerians registered and willing to come back home. So, we decided to do the first batch on Wednesday with 320 returnees. But by the time they registered only 20, they told us that their system broke down,” he said.
“In fact, the Air Peace aircraft arrived in South Africa at about 4:00 a.m. Wednesday, and was supposed to depart by 8:00 a.m. The aircraft didn’t leave until about 4:30 p.m. That was about 10 to 12 hour’s delay, which was not the fault of Air Peace.
“They deliberately frustrated us until the Nigerian High Commission informed us at the end of the day that we could only airlift 187 inclusive of about 87 children.”
He assured, however, that Air Peace is ever ready to continue with the repatriation, “if the South African government agrees that we should come.
“l was told that they picked up some people and wanted to ask them how they entered the country in the first place. I thought these people (Nigerians) are now leaving your country and they should have been left to go home.
“However, we are waiting for the Nigerian High Commission to inform us of the next move. I have enough pilots to get onto the aircraft and go back to South Africa.
“We are ready to evacuate every Nigerian, to the last, and free of charge too, so that we can encourage other Nigerians to always look at ourselves as one nation, telling others that irrespective of our differences, nobody can bend us, nobody from outside can separate us.
