The Allen Onyema One – Made in Nigeria

Tokunbo Shitta-Bey:
Hello and welcome to the one2one podcast, a series of game-changing discussions on the big ideas and issues that shape our thinking and help move society forward. Today on the show, we have a man who needs no introduction.
Dr Allen Onyema is chairman and Chief Executive of Air Peace, an airline whose reputation has literally taken to the skies along with the hopes and aspirations of millions of Nigerians at home and abroad. On the 30th of March 2024, Air Peace became one of only four locally operated commercial airlines to embark upon the coveted Lagos London route in recent times. He indeed is a made in Nigeria story. Doctor Onyema, Welcome one2one.

Dr Allen Onyema:
Thank you very much.

Tokunbo Shitta-Bey:
Thank you very much for joining us. I’m extremely pleased to have you. Your maiden flight – Let’s start there, your maiden flight from Lagos to London, on the 30th of March this year. Simply incredible. Tell me how that made you feel to achieve such an amazing feat.

Dr Allen Onyema:
Well, to me, that was one of my happiest days, I think, on this Journey. It took seven years of struggle for us to get there, and I must say, not just well done to Air Peace but well done to Nigeria. I must say not just congratulations to Air Peace but congratulations to Nigeria.
It’s one of my happiest moments because, in the last 7-10 years, Nigerians have been groaning under very high fares to the UK for a 6-hour journey. Some have paid up to 17 million naira for a business class ticket and as much as 5-6 million naira for economy tickets, which I have found very unacceptable because I know the truth. Air Peace does fly to China, a non-stop flight coming back to Guangzhou, and we don’t even charge up to 10% of what they have charged Nigerians for a 6-hour flight. When we fly to India, to Mumbai, and we don’t even charge that kind of money; Jeddah likewise, nothing near what we are saying, and one begins to wonder what was happening, and the other far-flung airlines took advantage of that… and we won’t do that because this is Nigeria, it is our country, it’s about Patriotism. Now that we’ve brought it down to 4 million naira, it’s even less than 4 million naira for business class, and to 1.2 million naira with further rebates for students of Nigerian in the UK, Canada, and Europe and America. We brought all these things down, and Nigerians started cancelling these other airlines… that led to a price slash, and they brought it down. Our happiness is that today, our fellow citizens of Nigerian origin will fly, and they do not need to fly Air Peace; It’s not about Air Peace.. they can fly any other airline, but they get to fly at the right price.