Afrigather Allen Onyema, the chairman of Nigeria’s largest carrier, Air Peace, is a pan-Nigerian and thorough-bred businessman with a powerful nationalistic orientation. He has a profound curiosity in peace advocacy, youth empowerment, aviation, authorized follow, and actual property funding.
He’s an envoy of the One Nigeria undertaking, with a observe report of deploying resources to key initiatives for selling peaceable coexistence and productively partaking the Nigerian youth. Born on March 28, 1964, Onyema, who’s from Mbosi in Ihiala, Anambra State is a result-oriented and decisive battle decision veteran.
“For his impression in his neighborhood, he was conferred with the title of Obata Obie Mbosi; in 2006, Africa Information Journal honoured him with the Hope for Humanity Award.”
On the completion of his secondary college schooling, he determined to provide his reward of peace advocacy some skilled contact when he secured admission into the celebrated College of Ibadan for a Bachelor of Legal guidelines (LLB).
It was on the College of Ibadan that Onyema’s zeal for peace-building compelled him to steer a gaggle of 9 different college students to Zaria to quell a raging spiritual and ethnic riot that claimed lives. On account of the success achieved, their enthusiasm grew, resulting in the formation of a physique generally known as the Eminent Buddies’ Group, set to advertise ethnic concord in Nigeria.
Whereas on the Nigerian Regulation College, Onyema mixed his skilled coaching with social activism geared toward engendering peace in Nigeria. He was referred to as to the bar in 1989 and began his authorized follow at Nwizugbo & Firm in 1990. He arrange his personal regulation agency, Onyema & Co., and a property agency, Allen Onyema & Firm.
Regardless of his enormous success in authorized follow and enterprise, Onyema was not fairly glad. He put all that apart for his ardour for peace advocacy by establishing the Basis for Ethnic Concord in Nigeria (FEHN) as a platform to organise his peace efforts throughout Nigeria.
In 2005, he invited People from the College of Rhode Island Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Research, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA, to coach him and his employees in nonviolent battle administration. He obtained the Ranges 1, 2, and three Certificates in Nonviolence Battle Administration from the identical establishment. A number of years later, Onyema bagged a Certificates in Nonviolence Management from Emory College in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
When the Niger Delta militancy turned intractable, he stepped as much as the problem. He risked his life by embarking on numerous peace missions to the troubled area. He educated over 30, 000 fierce Niger Delta militants with none clashes. Onyema has additionally been funding the Arewa Transformation and Empowerment Initiative (ATEI), which has been a platform for reorienting youths of northern extraction.
He solely funded the primary Nigeria Perpetually Undertaking between 2004 and 2005. This programme was executed within the 36 states of the federation, recording a outstanding success.
In September 2017, he invited Bernard Lafayette and his nonviolence schooling group from the US to coach the Arewa, IPOB, and Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) agitators for 5 days in Lagos. After the five-day coaching, the agitators buried the hatchet.
Onyema later sponsored virtually seventy leaders of various teams who participated within the first a part of the programme on the second part of the coaching at Emory College, Atlanta, USA. He spent over N300 million on this. He received for Nigeria the internet hosting rights of the World Convention on Nonviolence and Peace, held in Abuja from December 3–5, 2007.
Pushed by the will to create jobs, in September 2014, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) lastly issued Onyema an Air Operator’s Certificates (AOC) to start operations beneath the model identify Air Peace Restricted (APL).
He has additionally launched into loads of company social duty (CSR) initiatives to raise society. He had donated a whole police station constructing in Uli, Anambra State, to boost the safety of life and property; in Yobe State, he donated aid gadgets price hundreds of thousands of naira to internally displaced individuals.
For his impression on his neighborhood, he was conferred with the title of Obata Obie Mbosi; in 2006, Africa Information Journal honoured him with the Hope for Humanity Award.
A 12 months later, Onyema was conferred with the Martin Luther King Jr. World Award of Excellence for institutionalising nonviolence schooling and tradition in Nigeria and West Africa. He was honoured in the US by the Mayor of Tuskegee with town’s Honours Badge in 2009. Once more, in 2012, the Eminent Buddies Group Worldwide (EFGI) gave him the Pan Nigeria Nationalist Award.
For his peace advocacy, the chairman and chief govt officer of Air Peace was appointed to the Government Board of the World Nonviolence Convention Collection, Inc., USA, with notable world leaders Andrew Younger and Suarez Ramos as members. With this appointment, confirmed in April 2007, he turned the second African ever to be appointed to the World Board.
He has additionally been utilizing sports activities as a device for creating employment and securing peace. Since 2010, Onyema has assumed full sponsorship of over 43 soccer groups in jap Nigeria, in addition to constructing soccer pitches. He has made huge donations to the nationwide groups.
In 2021, he engineered a four-year Air Peace-NFF sponsorship deal for the Nigerian Nationwide Groups, with an preliminary funding of N300 million. In 2022, he honoured particular Nigerian sports activities heroes with free flights for all times and has taken on the duty of constructing a Wall of Fame for them. The identical 12 months, he introduced a precedence boarding coverage for Nigeria’s army officers—serving and retired—for his or her enormous sacrifices for the nation.
Onyema was listed by the Nation Newspapers as one of many 10 Most Excellent Chief Executives in 2016. He has additionally been named by the Nigeria Entrepreneurship Summit and Honours as one of the vital impactful traders in Nigeria.
For his inspirational management within the company world, he was conferred with an honorary Physician of Enterprise Administration (DBA) by Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu College, Anambra State, in November 2018. In September 2019, Onyema additional etched his identify in historical past as he evacuated 503 Nigerians from South Africa amidst xenophobic assaults.
Different awards for his impression in aviation and immense contributions to the socio-economic improvement of the nation are: The Voice of Ladies LifeTime Achievement Award; the Philanthropist of the Yr from the 2019 Pink Awards; Tourism Character of the Yr 2019 by Nigerian Tourism/Balerica Award; and the Star Award for Patriotism by Crime Reporters Affiliation of Nigeria; Most Admired CEO 2020, by The Nigerian Enterprise Management Awards (Enterprise Day Newspaper); Distinctive Philanthropist of the Yr (Solar Newspaper Awards 2020); the 2021 College of Ibadan Alumnus of the Yr; Businessman of the Yr (Unbiased Newspaper Awards 2021); Extraordinary Achievement Award (Silverbird Man of the Yr Awards 2021); 2022 Man of the Yr Award(Alumni Affiliation of Authorities Faculty, Ughelli); the Nationwide Productiveness Order of Advantage (NPOM) Award 2022; Princeton Management Award 2022; Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria(FCIBN) 2023; and Physician of Administration Science Diploma from the Nigerian Defence Academy 2023.
Fleet measurement and connecting cities:
From beginning in 2014 with a report fleet of seven plane to incomes the appellation of West and Central Africa’s largest provider, Air Peace, beneath the management of Allen Onyema, has continued to evince power, reliability, and consistency, changing into the aviation delight of Nigerians.
The airline has not solely put Nigeria’s aviation business on the map; it has additionally proven the world {that a} Nigerian airline is able to globally acclaimed feats throughout all fronts, together with a matchless security tradition. The airline took supply of 5 model new 124-seater Embraer 195-E2 plane, the primary of its form in Africa.
The airline turned Embraer’s launch buyer for this plane mannequin in the entire of Africa. These deliveries have been a part of the 2018 agency order for 13 E195s with buy rights for 17 of the identical plane. In the meantime, the airline additionally has current orders for 10 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 5 Boeing 737 MAX 10 plane in its bid to step by step part out the present Boeing 737 fleet.
Taking its fleet modernization technique a notch greater, Air Peace signed one other milestone deal—a agency order for 5 brand-new Embraer 175 plane and a deliberate upkeep facility with assist from Embraer to service the plane domestically. The acquisition doesn’t solely make Air Peace the airline of the long run, however additionally it is in step with its dedication to turn into the operator of the biggest and youngest fleet of plane in Africa. It reinforces its dedication to enhancing its home and regional community connectivity and paves the best way for additional regional growth.
This agency order is valued at USD 288.3 million. Cumulatively, these add as much as 28 plane in concrete order. Within the historical past of Nigeria’s aviation business, no airline has ever positioned such an bold order.
Air Peace, dominating Nigeria’s aviation business beneath Onyema, has continued to set information which have remained unbroken, blazing the path in route and fleet growth to satisfy the growing journey demand of its markets.
The airline operates a blended fleet of 13 Boeing 737s, 1 Dornier 328-300 Jet, 3 Boeing 777s, 8 Embraer 145s, 5 Embraer 195-E2s, and 10 Airbus 320s.
No-city-left-behind:
The airline is reputed for its no-city-left-behind catchphrase and seeks to attain this ambition by way of the acquisition of ultra-modern plane, providing Nigerians world-class flight companies.
Air Peace, the airline of selection, commenced industrial operations in 2014, lower than 10 years in the past, however has steadily proven immense development and now boasts 20 home routes and eight regional and 7 worldwide locations, together with Worldwide Jeddah, Guangzhou, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Dubai, Johannesburg, and London. launched just lately.
The federal government of Antigua and Barbuda plans to companion with Air Peace to revive the Caribbean nationwide provider LIAT beneath a brand new identify. Following an settlement between each events, Air Peace will purchase a majority stake in LIAT.
This partnership is predicted to spice up Air Peace’s worldwide flight operations.
Humanitarian actions:
The nation’s largest provider, beneath Onyema’s management, has been actively concerned in humanitarian efforts to evacuate stranded Nigerians from varied crisis-hit areas. Final 12 months, 277 Nigerians who have been stranded on the Egyptian border as a result of disaster in Sudan have been efficiently evacuated by Air Peace.
This dedication aligns along with his earlier actions, comparable to freely airlifting 503 stranded Nigerians in the course of the xenophobic assaults in South Africa in 2019 and taking part in repatriation efforts in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, evacuating over 300 stranded Nigerians from Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Moreover, bringing residence stranded Nigerians from India and evacuating Nigerians on the onset of the Ukraine-Russia disaster.
Air Peace’s dedication to humanitarian efforts demonstrates its dedication to making sure the protection and well-being of Nigerian residents, even in difficult circumstances. Whereas these actions occurred throughout varied crises, it’s vital to recognise the airline’s position in offering help when wanted most.
