MEET THE CEO OF AIRPEACE
Many
people don’t know Allen Ifechukwu Onyema. He is the Chairman of Air Peace
Airline. He is a lawyer, businessman and a Conflict resolution expert. One
thing that gets this stylish entrepreneur angry all the time is when some
people mischievously suggest that Air Peace airline is owned by former first
lady, Patience Jonathan and that he (Onyeama) is only fronting for her, simple
because the name of the airline is called PEACE and Patience Jonathan is often
referred to as Mama Peace.
When
City People first met him early this year he complained bitterly about it and
he is still complaining. Recently, he complained about the misception to
Aviators Africa, a specialised Aviation magazine.
Below
are excerpts of his interview on how he set up Air Peace.
Tell
us about your growing up?
I
am Allen Ifechukwu Onyema, a proud native of Mbosi town in Ihiala Local
Government Area of Anambra State, South East region of Nigeria. Proud Nigerian
of Igbo descent. Born to fantastic parents who instilled a lot of
discipline in us through the way they live and lived their lives respectively.
My mother died at the age of 44 in 1991. I grew up in the old Bendel State,
principally, Benin and Warri. I am the first out of nine children. I attended
several primary schools. I also attended several secondary schools including
St. Anthony’s Secondary School, Azia, Urhobo College Effurun and the
prestigious Government College Ughelli. I am also blessed to have been
privileged to attend Nigeria’s Premier
University,
the Great University of Ibadan (UI) where I studied Law. I attended the
Nigerian Law School between 1987/88 and was called to the bar in 1989. My
parents and my uncle wanted me to work for Shell after Law school. My uncle,
Capt. J.O.W. Onyema, a master marina, was the Head, Crude Oil Export Terminal,
Forcados then. That meant that I was going to remain in Warri and, that, I
never liked. I wanted to be free. I felt that working in Warri would still keep
me under parental care and control but I wanted to be on my own. My mother was angry
that I was considering a life of the unknown rather than working for Shell. But
I was bent on going away. So I rebelled against my parents’ and my uncle’s
decision.
I
left for Lagos in 1990 in search of jobs. No money on me. I was squatting in
Oshodi. I couldn’t afford taxis or buses; I was going to Lagos Island by rail.
Going back to Oshodi, I would trek from Marina to Iddo to join the overcrowded
trains. I wanted to practice my profession as a lawyer.
For
two months, I was searching for a law firm to join to no avail. I became
frustrated but came alive when the late Chief Vincent Amobi Nwizugbo gave me
the opportunity to come to his chambers on Martins Street, Lagos Island to
learn. He had 5 other lawyers working for him. I was very happy. At least, every
morning, there would be a place I could go to, though I was not on salary.
However, it was not long before he placed me on a monthly salary of N500 This
he did because I surprised him by winning a high court case for the chambers; a
case they had on their own regarded as a bad case for the law firm. It was my
first case as a lawyer. And I was up against a SAN with three other lawyers in
tow. He trusted my abilities so much that he made me head of chambers under two
years. By this time, I had become big in real estate so I had to resign so as
to avoid conflict of interest in my dealings. Though he didn’t want me to go, I
had my way at last. I left and floated not only my own law firm but several
other successful businesses. This was how it all began for me.
And
Marriage?
I
got married in 1993. I married a beautiful Kogi State girl from the Igala
tribe. I met her in Abuja at a time I never thought of marriage. I married at
the age of 27! It actually started with my late mum. One morning in 1991, just
few days to my immediate younger sister’s wedding, she told me that she and my
dad would want to know the girl I would like to marry when the time comes. By
this time, I had met my wife in Abuja but I didn’t know her names. I thought
she was Hausa because of her attire and I told myself to go after “this Hausa
girl”. She agreed to come for my younger sister’s wedding on my invitation.
This was the first and last time she would be seeing my mum for she died a
month after the wedding of kidney failure. Her death spurred me to early
marriage. I fulfilled her wish. We have four children, a girl and three boys.
What
informed your going into Commercial Aviation?
I
have said it on several fora and occasions that I made this decision together
with my wife just to create jobs for the people. If it was about profit, I
would have kept the money in the banks and be getting double digit interests on
my investments. By 2008, I was receiving about 18% interest on my deposits. I
was building estates from interest alone. It was during my advent 0 floating
Air Peace that I scattered all my deposits for the first time since 2004! I was
told, in 2007, by a friend that one commercial Boeing 737 could give jobs
to over 150 persons! So I told my wife that we should do it. I made a pact with
God Almighty in 2003 that I would get involved in touching lives through
massive job creation and that I have done by setting up Air Peace. God has been
very faithful. To me and my family. Air Peace is for the welfare of mankind and
not really for us. But do not think that we want to lose our investments, far
from it I am happy when I see the faces of these young ones in Air Peace who,
today, could boast of a means livelihood for themselves and their families. Our
staff would tell you that I treat them like equals. I have no airs over my
shoulders. I encourage every wealthy person in this country to invest in the
country so as to create jobs for our people instead oftaking the money abroad.
Could
you please tell us about the ownership structure of Air Peace and how it was
financed?
I
really do not want to talk about this again but if I don’t, it would give room
for more senseless talks. I named my airline Air Peace because my other
companies are also Peace this and Peace that. My life is all about peace
building. I made substantial amount of my God given wealth through my peace
building businesses. Little did I know that I was creating problems for myself
as some mischief makers started linking it with the former First Lady, Mrs.
Jonathan, who goes by the nickname MAMA PEACE! I have heard that Air
Peace is owned by the former First Lady of Nigeria, with me as a front! This is
highly irritating. I HAVE NEVER MET PATIENCE JONATHAN OR HER HUSBAND IN MY
LIFE! Besides seeing them on TV or newspapers. How could they then own my
Airline? Someone wrote in the blogs that Jonathan gave me $1 billion
dollars to float Air Peace. I don’t know if the aircraft in all the airlines in
Nigeria put together are up to $700m talk less of $1 billion. Yet Air Peace
with just 7 airplanes is then claimed to cost this much. The names of other
friends like Timi Alaibe and Kingsley Kuku have also been mentioned. Some also
say it is owned by Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, just because
I bank with Fidelity Bank where he was once a chairman many years ago! This is
just bizarre. Some have mentioned the former minister of Aviation, Stella
Oduah. I have never met this woman. If all these powerful people had a hand in
Air Peace, how then did it take me almost two years to get my Air Operator’s
Certificate (AOC) from the government? I was almost frustrated out. It took
Engr. Benjamin Adeyileka, the then Acting DG of NCAA to save Air Peace. He saw
potentials in the emerging airline and swore that no one could stop Air Peace from
coming into being. God used this man to give Nigerians the airline of the
moment. If all these touted owners of Air Peace were owners, how then did our
request for this license get to the point of my almost closing down the
airline? People are just wicked. Some airline owners were also pointed at this
libelous and slanderous campaign. One actually masterminded the publication in
a blog that Stella Oduah owns the airline. As I said earlier, I brought
my finances into it while getting support from the banks too. When I had gone
halfway with the acquisition of my aircraft, I discovered that it was more than
I thought. So I borrowed money from the banks. Fidelity Bank is there for
anyone who cares to see. I pay the bank daily from sales. It is automatic. I have
integrity and every bank that knows my pedigree like Fidelity would readily do
business with me. I equally borrowed from Zenith but not as much as I did with
Fidelity. This is how I set up my airline. For the record, I own Air Peace 100
percent.
What
names do you put on all your Planes?
I
named all my 7 aircrafts after my family because I love family. The executive
jet has Michaelon it. That’s my dad. One Domier 328 jet has Helen on
it. That’s my late mum. The other Domier 328 has Ojochide on
it. That’s my wife. The first four B737 have on them names of my 4 children
namely; Nnenna– after my first child and daughter, Chinonso–
after my first son, Obinna – after my second son and Ugochukwu –
after my last son.
Recently,
we acquired 2 more Boeing 737 aircraft. One has already arrived. I recently
sold my two Domier 328 Jets which had my mum’s and wife’s names on them to
British Airways, so I named the two new acquisitions after my wife and my mum
with their full names; HELENEKWUSI ONYEMA and ALICE OJOCHIDE ONYEMA.
I am the only one without an aircraft. There are many pointers to the fact of
ownership. Why should you be fronting for someone and be naming your planes
after members of your family? Who would allow you do that to his investment. If
this is not enough, please let the whole world go to the Corporate Affairs
Commission in Abuja to search for the real legal owners of the airline. At the
time of incorporating the company years ago, the original shareholders were I
and my wife because the children then we’re not up to the legally required age
of 18 for them to become directors and shareholders. They are being
incorporated as shareholders and directors as they attain the required age.
What
makes Air Peace different from the rest?
Already,
we have acquired two more Boeing planes. We increased our fleet from 7 to 9
planes in less than six months. We are also going to acquire more with the help
of our banks. My integrity goes before me in all of these. We are not only
increasing our capacity through acquisition of more planes but also in the
areas of adequate human resources. We have about 400 staff in our employ
for now. Our route expansion is on course. We shal1 resume Port Harcourt
operations soon. Calabar, Uyo, Kano and Yola will soon join. We have the equipment
for this expansion. It is just a matter of time. We wil1 soon also start
regional flight to and from African countries. The actual dates shall soon be
announced to our teeming customers.
On
the launch date of this airline on October 24 last year, I promised the world
that we shal1 change the status quo as it regards scheduled commercial flight
operations in the country. We promised to bring about positive changes in the
industry. We preached peace amongst the operators. There has been this devilish
animosity and rivalry amongst the airlines in igeria. We don’t want to be part
of that. This is where we are different. We wish all well. Secondly, our
on-time departure is second to none in Nigeria. We can compete with the best
airlines in the world on timely departures. When we fail to do this, we also
have the humility to explain to the customers. In extreme cases, we serve them
refreshments. Why other airlines may be rostering all duty free, the particular
aircraft for which we were being persecuted for was still in Texas, United
States But should that have happened at all?
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