SIMBO OLORUNFEMI & ADE ADEFEKO
Simbo Olorunfemi, a communications consultant, is the managing editor of Africa Enterprise; Ade Adefeko is chairman, Industrial Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)
Reports out there do not suggest this as the best of times for the lawyer and entrepreneur, Allen Onyema, and Air Peace, his airline, which started operations about a decade ago “as an engine to provide economic opportunities to Nigerian youth.” It appears that there is buffeting from different sides targeted at rocking his boat and his enterprise, which has since grown to become the largest airline in West Africa, providing passenger and charter services across different destinations around the world.
It must count for something that this airline which came into business at a time when the Nigerian aviation industry was virtually on its knees has grown in leaps and bounds, and has effectively functioned as a standard bearer in critical situations even if it has not been officially designated as Nigeria’s flag carrier. That is strange in itself, as the definition of ‘flag carrier’ has transitioned from the original idea of it being airlines owned by the government of the home country to “any international airline with a strong connection to its home country or that represents its home country internationally, regardless of whether it is government-owned”.
While designation as a flag carrier comes with some level of priority or preference for the airline, especially with the assignment of rights in local and international markets, being a flag carrier is not only about privileges, it comes with a sense of responsibility for the country, one which Air Peace has long come to a recognition of, and graciously accepted, even when it has not been accorded such designation. At different times, the airline has come to the rescue of Nigerians caught up in crises and war situations in other parts of the world. Air Peace was there to evacuate Nigerian citizens from South Africa following an outbreak of xenophobic violence against foreign nationals there in September 2019. It was there during the challenging period of COVID-19, evacuating stranded Nigerians from different parts of the world during the lockdown. Air Peace was there to bring in Nigerians who were stranded in Sudan as civil war broke out in that country. It was there to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Europe following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
In other words, Air Peace has, following the overtly pro-Nigeria stance of its founder and chairman, Allen Onyema, served as a burden-bearer and face-saver in critical times, which is what would be expected of a national carrier. Indeed, the vision that propelled Onyema to set up the airline was as much about national prestige and development as it was about meeting a yawning gap in the aviation industry. Allen Onyema had set out, from his days as a law student at the University of Ibadan, to the task of promoting peace and national cohesion, which he considers to be fundamentals in driving progress and prosperity. Under the auspices of the “Eminent Friends’ Group”, which he co-founded to promote ethnic harmony among Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities and fight the incidence of violence of all forms in our nation, starting with the riots in Zaria, Onyema started out being a promoter of peace in the country. This would lead him, a few years into his law practice, to set up the Foundation of Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN) as a platform for conflict resolution and the promotion of peace across the length and breadth of the country. This platform would, years later, play a major role in resolving different conflicts and engendering peace, with the work done in the Niger Delta to train and transition militants away from violence being the most outstanding. That work, which started as a private initiative, would eventually inspire the presidential amnesty programme in which Onyema and his organisation played a key role. The programme led to the disarmament and demobilisation of thousands of militants, deploying a mix of skills development, retraining, and reintegration of thousands of youths into civil society.
It is Allen Onyema’s long-term recognition of the linkage between business and national development in Nigeria, and the fact that entrepreneurship should not be approached simply as a vehicle for profit-making but one through which the fortunes of Nigerians can be improved and national prestige enhanced. While Onyema has pending criminal allegations in the US for charges that he has denied, it needs to be stated that he remains innocent until proven guilty and that a contentious issue in a foreign jurisdiction should not be weaponised. There are issues in the larger economy that have adversely affected the aviation industry, with concomitant effects on operations, which undoubtedly reflects in the quality of service by the airline. These issues must be taken within the context of industry-wide and macroeconomic challenges. Air Peace is a visionary initiative that must continue to receive the necessary support from the government, its supervising agencies, and Nigerians, to enable it to fly Nigeria’s flag higher. Designating the airline as Nigeria’s flag carrier should serve Nigeria well.
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