Air Peace, a
Nigerian airline, has expressed its willingness to evacuate over 4,000
Nigerians currently trapped in war-torn Sudan free of charge. The Chairman and
CEO of the airline, Allen Onyema, stated that the Nigerian students and other
stranded individuals urgently needed help, and if they could be moved to a
neighboring country, Air Peace would fly there to evacuate them, as Sudan’s
airspace is closed to civil aviation flights.
Onyema
emphasized that he is compelled to help because Nigeria cannot afford to lose
her citizens in that country, adding that it would be his own commitment to
making sure that the stranded Nigerians in the war-torn country are safe. He
believes that everything must not be left for the government alone, especially
as the situation calls for urgency and immediate action.
In his
words, “It will be a privilege and honor of tremendous pride that we will
be out there to give every Nigerian stranded in Sudan a sense of pride and
oneness in their country. We are very ready to do it immediately. No time
wasting. Any action that would promote national pride, national cohesion, peace
and unity, we are for it. Again, we have no apologies for believing in our
nation and loving the nation despite certain national challenges. If they are
moved to Kenya or Uganda or any other country, we will move in to get them out.
Some parents have started calling on us to help. We are ready to do this again
and again.”
This is not
the first time Air Peace has offered assistance to Nigerians in need. In 2019,
the airline deployed aircraft to South Africa to evacuate Nigerians caught up
in xenophobic attacks against Africans, particularly Nigerians living in that
country, which threatened the lives of Nigerians. Air Peace has proven itself
to be a reliable partner in times of crisis and has shown its commitment to the
well-being of Nigerians at home and abroad.
