The chairman of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema has said that the Nigerian military are still one of the best in the world despite their challenges.
Onyema stated this when he was honoured with a Doctor of Management Science Degree by the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) at its 33rd convocation held Kaduna on Thursday, September 28
He commended the military for their sacrifices in keeping the country together and defending it against territorial aggression.
“You have to consider what they go through and the circumstances in which they operate. You have to consider the stigmatisation of Nigeria as a country and that makes it impossible for the Nigerian government to access the right military equipment where the foreign powers stop us from getting it; yet the Nigerian military is performing. And we have to applaud them.
“They face all manner of adversity. They are fighting on all fronts- both territorial borders and in confronting the rising insecurity in the country. These are the people making the sacrifices for the security of our nation,” he said.
Onyema charged the new graduates of the academy to deploy the newly acquired skills and knowledge to defend the country and contribute to its development.
He said he had great admiration for the military adding that his airline would continue to support their personnel.
“When we started Air Peace in 2014, I announced that officers of the Nigerian military- serving and retired- should be flying at 10,000 naira then.
“In 2022, we also introduced a priority boarding policy for military officers to honour them. For all they are doing for the country, we need to motivate them.
“We also have decided to offer the military rebate on flight tickets and the specifics will be announced soon for both serving and retired officers. We’ll also work with this institution. I’ll discuss with the commandant and his executives to see what I can do for this institution.”
Onyema also used the occasion to pray Nigerians to embrace what he called “broad nationalism” “where every Nigerian will be proud to say I’m a Nigerian instead of talking about their ethnicities.”
The earlier we fight for each other, the better for us. We want a situation where you profess the unity of the country in truth and in practice,” he added.
