File photo: Air Peace crew
Taking a cue from their boss, Allen Onyema, the 18-man crew of Air Peace which evacuated Nigerians from South Africa have returned their allowances, saying it is their sacrifice to their fatherland in the ongoing mission to evacuate Nigerians from xenophobic South Africa.
The Chairman of Air Peace Airline, Mr Allen Onyema, confirmed this development while commending the crew for imitating him in selfless service to their country and for the sake of their countrymen and women.
Crew members of any flight are paid allowances for their service but in this instance, the concerned staff of Air Peace rejected the allowances due to them, opting to work for free just to ensure the evacuation of Nigerians.
“They deserved the allowances they got. It is their right but they returned it. They said if our boss can make the sacrifice of using his plane to evacuate Nigerians, they too will follow in his footsteps to make similar sacrifice,” he said.
Recall that Mr. Onyema had said that if Nigerians continued to fight one another as against fighting for one another, there would be no nation.
Onyema made the assertion while addressing members of the House of Representatives, at a special session organised in his honour, for evacuating stranded Nigerians in South Africa during the xenophobic attacks.
“Let me use this opportunity to plead with all of you here, the representatives of our people, as long as we fight against each other, soon enough we shall not have a nation.
“It is only when we start fighting for each other, as against what is happening now, that we can we have a nation; I believe in nationalism as against sectionalism,” he said.
According to him, if you encounter a Nigerian, the first thing he says is, I am Hausa, I am Igbo, Yoruba or Fulani.
Onyema said that Nigeria was blessed with 370 ethnic nationalities, which should be a recipe for strength.
The business mogul charged the lawmakers to annex the strength in ethnic diversity in the country.
According to him, in the last one week, this country has bonded, no more Hausa, no more Yoruba, no more Igbo.
Onyema reiterated Air Peace’ readiness to repatriate Nigerians still stranded in South Africa.
According to him, we are ready to go into South Africa as long as there is one single Nigerian remaining in that country, to be evacuated for free.
“The kind of support we have gotten from Nigerians through your commendations and everything gladdens our heart, to the extent that my pilot and my cabin crew, stood out there for 24 hours because they were some (South African authority) trying to frustrate us.
“They did not want us to evacuate, they pleaded with the Nigerian High Commission not to do it, but they told them that they cannot stop this private citizens.
“The cabin crew stood up for 24 hours; they delayed us for 15 hours ,before allowing us to do the first evacuation; the crew refused to collect their allowances as their own contribution, ” he said.
Onyema said that another 319 Nigerians had checked in and were on their way back to Nigeria.
The Majority Leader of the House, Rep. Ado Doguwa (APC-Kano), said that the military had the responsibility of keeping the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
Doguwa explained that citizens looked up to the military to save and protect lives and property and for that reason they were called Lt. Colonels, Colonels and Generals.
“Without any fear of contradiction and with the support of this chambers, I can say that we now have General Chief Onyema in the private sector.
“What he did was an exhibition of selflessness, risking his business interest, to save the lives of Nigerians in the face of war, because this xenophobic attacks in South Africa is like a war.
“Onyema, you saved Nigerians from the face of war, you saved Nigerians from embarrassment and what we are doing today is being done on behalf of the 360 constituencies of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to say thank you, ” he said.
