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His story follows a path of passion, purpose, patriotism and progress. It’s rooted in working for a higher purpose. His integrity and professionalism matter to him more than anything else. He is serious about business, and serious about people. It shows the success of a remarkable Nigerian, who, through his enormous energies and efforts enjoys rallying – and leading – the troops for a better Nigeria and its citizens. Even though he believes in the saying that ‘there’s a lot one person can do’, he’s not “one man riot squad’.
He’s a team player for a common good. The true picture that emerges is that of an entrepreneur of uncommon nature. You know why? Not to be an entrepreneur is to begin the process of decline and decay.
That’s why he has chosen to play in the capital-intensive turf of the aviation industry that’s reserved for the brave and foresighted. Besides, he’s one individual who believes that if you have got to do what you do well, the test is how you effectively connect with the people, your costumers. And to do that, you must earn their trust. You must take care of them, and the people who take care of the customers. This is because, when you feel valued, you have a much stronger company. The profile that emerges from the above description is that of the founder and Chairman of Air Peace, Dr Allen Ifechukwu Onyema. The truth about his latest pet project – Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul(MRO) is a classic case of leadership and foresight.
Put simply, the secret of Onyema’s success is a combination of business acumen, innovation, risk-taking and a strong nationalistic drive. That’s what led him to build Air Peace into a major airline. On top of his success is a foundation of innovative business strategies, a commitment to expanding Nigeria’s aviation sector, and a drive to serve his country, which included using his airline to bring Nigerians home from South Africa during the xenophobic attacks in 2019. Starting with just seven aircraft, he has in just eleven years grown Air Peace into West Africa’s largest airline with over 30 aircraft, and more on order. He has expanded its routes to more than 20 domestic and 10 regional destinations, with plans in the coming days for more international expansion, including Abuja -London Heathrow and Gatwick airports on October 26-27, and later Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Nothing gives an individual self-fulfillment like doing what he loves doing. That, in the first place, was the vision on which Air Peace was founded. Part of that vision has been realised. But you see, sometimes, businesses often face big, messy problems – challenges that defy precise definition, change constantly, and have numerous causes. Therefore, to find solutions to such problems, a businessman must look beyond the balance sheets, think outside the box. That’s exactly what led to the groundbreaking ceremony on September 17. The occasion was the commencement of the construction of a N32bn Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul(MRO) infrastructure. Location: Murtala Mohammed International Airport. Size: 34,000 Square metres of land. The idea behind such a capital-intensive project is to transform Nigeria’s aviation industry, reduce capital flight from overseas maintenance, save Nigerian airlines foreign exchange. It’s also expected to create over 50,000 direct and indirect jobs for engineers, technicians, and support staff, as well as attract foreign investments and establish Nigeria as a regional hub for aircraft maintenance. These skilled engineers and technicians conduct assessment, troubleshooting procedures and precision repairs to restore components to manufacturers’ specification, and extend aircraft service lifespan.
The project is supported by the Federal Government, which it must be said, has never let Air Peace down, especially the Tinubu administration. Besides the government, the project is backed by Embraer, a Brazilian multinational aerospace corporation and one of the world’s aerospace industry leaders. The MRO project is expected to be completed in 16 months. On completion, it will serve both Air Peace fleet and other domestic and international carriers. That’s the power of a man with a vision and foresight. Without a vision beyond one’s own advancement, success is limited and almost paralyzed once the immediate goal is achieved. And Onyema knows this too well. That’s why he brought everyone onboard, the federal government and Embraer. The catchphrase is:”if you are ready for the Future”, embrace EMBRAER. That’s one of the things that make Air Peace helmsman tick. He thinks not only about now, but the future of the aviation industry in Nigeria, and globally. The Air Peace MRO project now located in Lagos wasn’t the original plan of Onyema. He had initially conceived the project to be sited at Umeri community in Anambra, his home state. That was way back in 2021. Everything that needed to be done, Onyema did. He paid a hefty sum of N100 million to the state government under the immediate past governor Willie Obiano. Not to the community as some mischief makers alleged. Payment was duly received and receipt issued on August 26, 2021. But was the land for the construction of the MR0 given to Air Peace? Was the money refunded? The answer is in the negative. Last week, the traditional ruler of Umeri community, Igwe Emeka, made an unprovoked, baseless and misleading statement that was calculated to impugn the integrity of the Air Peace boss concerning the land earmarked for the MRO project. However, the management of Air Peace has rebutted the statement in its entirety, and stressed that at no time was Umeri community accused of “any wrongdoing” by Air Peace Chairman. Neither” was any statement issued, suggesting that the community refused land allocation, received money. Besides, the community had no dispute with Air Peace over the MRO project.
In addition to making the N100m payment directly to the Anambra state government, Air Peace disclosed that to confirm the completion of the transaction, a Certificate of Occupancy, covering the same parcel of land was issued to it on September 14 2021. The statement added that Dr Onyema would not on any account, “lie about anything. His personal and professional integrity is evident in his transparent record of service to Nigeria and his unwavering commitment to national development”. It was when the MRO project was apparently frustrated by the machination of the then government in Anambra that Air Peace boss moved on with the project idea to Lagos. In other words, separating facts from lies has become exceedingly necessary” in this matter. It’s simply a storm in a teacup, orchestrated by the enemies of Air Peace and it’s Chairman.
Here is the truth and essence of the Air Peace MRO project, and why it’s an idea whose time has come. The overall growth and competitiveness of the domestic aviation industry will be significantly stunted without a MRO infrastructure. Currently, Nigeria’s aviation industry loses huge revenue annually through capital flight and higher operating costs. It’s estimated that over N180bn was spent on overseas maintenance in 2024 alone. This is a narrative that the Air Peace MRO is designed to change. It will create a continental maintenance hub when completed. At the moment, the lack of MRO capability in the country often forces airlines to undergo complex checks such as “C” and “D” checks abroad. These are heavy, scheduled maintenance that involve costly processes and strains scarce foreign exchange resources. It also hinders the nation’s growth and sustainability.
Imagine if the Air Peace MRO facility was already in place, it perhaps would have saved the country the tension and embarrassment caused by Valuejet aircraft conveying the national team, the Super Eagles back from Polokwane, South Africa to Uyo for today’s make-or-break world cup qualifier against Benin Republic. The aircraft was reported to have made emergency landing due to a technical fault resulting from a cracked windshield that caused mid-air scare. After days of delay, the national team finally arrived Uyo, safely Sunday morning.
It bears reiterating that MRO services are crucial for identifying and fixing potential wear, fatigue, or malfunctions in complex aircraft systems, including structural repairs, component overhaul before they become safety hazard. That’s why aviation authorities mandate strict maintenance standards to ensure airworthiness. MRO activities are essential for meeting these requirements and avoiding penalties. With the construction of the Air Peace MRO now underway, Nigeria will soon join top five African countries with significant MRO facilities. Countries in Africa with good MRO are Ethiopia in top position, followed by South Africa, Kenya and Egypt. Ethiopia Airlines recently expanded its state-of-art MRO complex at Bole International airport. It’s considered the continent’s leading aircraft hub. When completed, Air Peace MRO will be Africa’s largest MRO facility. Until now, Nigeria has been traditionally lacking in major MRO infrastructure.
When history is written about his legacy, surely history will be kind to Dr Allen Onyema, as one individual who transformed virtually every facet of Nigeria’s aviation sector. Today, according to data from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA), Air Peace has become a dominant force in the sector. Out of a total of 3,114,014 passenger traffic in 2024, Air Peace carried 1,544,492 inbound and outbound traffic passengers, representing over 50 percent of total passenger traffic in 2024. This is a remarkable feat, for which Onyema continues to receive
awards. For example, in 2021, he received the prestigious “Exceptional Philanthropist of the Year award” from the Sun newspapers. It was in recognition of his philanthropy, peacemaking, diplomacy, and reconciliation, including his exemplary work in airlifting Nigerians from South Africa and other crisis-torn countries.
