By Chinelo Obogo
The Anambra State Government has described Air Peace commencement of three weekly flights into Niamey, Niger Republic, as a historic and decisive step in the economic integration of the African region.
According to the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Don Adinuba, Governor Willie Obiano said the resumption of flights from Abuja and Kano from March 11 is historic because it will help end the trend where passengers from some African cities would have to fly to Paris or London or Madrid to catch a connecting flight to some other African city.
He expressed the optimism that with Air Peace scheduled regular flights from Abuja and Kano to Niamey, trade between Nigeria and Niger Republic will rise exponentially.
“We are proud that a worthy indigene of Anambra State, Allen Onyema, founder and chairman of Air Peace, is playing a significant role in ending this regional blight which has been most embarrassing to all of us who are Africans. The cultural propinquity between them is remarkably deep. The Hausa language, for instance, is commonly spoken in both countries, and there are numerous families with members in both places,” he said.
Adinuba also said that the incoming Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has called the Air Peace chairman on the phone to congratulate him on the flights.
“The news of the flights between Abuja and Niamey and between Kano and Niamey is nothing other than delightful. The magic of it all is that Air Peace is powering ahead at a time many airlines across the globe have yet to recover fully from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which arguably affected aviation more than any other sector in the world.
“What is more, the situation is exacerbated by the astronomical increase in the price of dual purpose kerosene (DPK) following the dramatic rise of crude oil prices to more than $130 per barrel in the last few days,” he said.
Soludo also lauded Air Peace for plans to begin operations into London, Houston, Mumbai and Guangzhou.
“It is amazing that this airline which began operations just seven years ago already operates 20 domestic routes and has been flying into Johannesburg and Dubai. Air Peace, West Africa’s largest carrier and the fastest growing in the region, has become a great ambassador of not just Anambra State but the whole Nigerian federation,” he said.
Soludo thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, for their assistance to Air Peace and also praised the Nigerian diplomatic mission in Niamey, especially the deputy ambassador, Aisha Kabiru, for going beyond the call of duty to ensure smooth flight operations between Nigeria and Niger Republic.