The chairman/chief government of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, stated the proposed tax legislation taking impact from January 1, 2026, will crippled Nigerian airways if carried out.
Onyema stated the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) will go to President Bola Tinubu to look into methods of managing the brand new tax legal guidelines with the airways as it’s able to destroying the airline business within the nation.
Talking on behalf of the Airways Operators of Nigeria at 100 years celebration of Aviation in Nigeria, in Abuja, Onyema stated: “We’re going to meet members of the Nationwide Meeting very quickly, along with our minister to debate the problems of taxation which can be supposed to return into impact on January 1, 2026, because it impacts the airways. As a result of whether it is allowed to face, all of us will crumble. However I do know Mr. President will take heed to our cries and do the needful.”
Talking additional on the aviation business, Onyema stated “initially, I need to pay my respect to the zonal and nationwide leaders. Nigeria has by no means, ever loved the sort of assist we’re having immediately within the aviation business. I need you to suppose again to the years prior to now and evaluate what we’re getting immediately as airways.
We’re those who actually bear the burden as airways. We’re those to inform the story—whether or not it’s good or dangerous—and no different individual can inform it higher than the airways. And right here, I characterize not only a piece of us; I characterize your entire AON as one in all their leaders. And after we converse, we converse with out concern. We aren’t afraid to criticize when obligatory. We aren’t afraid to face up in opposition to something when obligatory. And when it’s obligatory for us to applaud and commend, we achieve this with equal vigour.
“And immediately, I need to have fun our President, and I actually don’t care whose ox is gored, as a result of this President has helped the aviation business, before everything, with the sort of appointment he made. I bear in mind once I met him within the Villa, I advised him a number of instances, clearly sufficient for him to listen to and perceive that sometime, Mr. President, you’ll thank God Almighty for permitting you to nominate Mr. Keyamo to this place.
“Our business was virtually useless. Nigerian airways have been struggling beneath a demonised standing. We have been all demonised as not being efficient. We have been all demonised as missing capability. We have been all demonised as if nothing good may come out of us. No one had religion in us. The nation was made to see us as a really hopeless sector—by no means thoughts the truth that the homeowners of those airways, as private-sector operators, are very selfless in what they do for your entire nation; and that these have been the identical individuals shifting the nation ahead, strategically powering the economic system and the motion of the individuals. But, we didn’t get our flowers.
“Now now we have a change—the place a minister has determined that on daily basis of his life, he’s on the market attempting to enhance the lot of all of you right here, the airways.”
Additionally talking, the minister of aviation and aerospace growth Festus Keyamo stated the award was in recognition of the contributions of some many individuals up to now in shaping the aviation business, noting that “this was why we thought it suits that we would have liked to honor all of the veterans who had held this business, who had suffered for this business, who had labored onerous to construct this business earlier than we bought right here. And I’m positive you’ve seen all of them immediately, aeronautical engineers, captains, even sky caterers, those that have catered for these flying for us for a few years, we honor all of them immediately. However we additionally need to apologize for these we could have omitted.
“We need to apologise, we aren’t, we aren’t good. There are different heroes past this listing. We’re attempting to handle this to 40, however on the finish of the day, we nonetheless really feel now we have to have 47 or so, as a result of by the point we publish the primary listing, you realize, we notice that so many different have been additionally omitted. So it is a basic shout out and, you realize, appreciation to all those that weren’t talked about at another time, we’re going to point out them once more. However this 100 years is a watershed in our journey on this nation as an aviation sector. We need to attraction to all of you to proceed to study your voice of knowledge, your sense of judgment, your recommendation to all of us right here.”
Among the many awardees are: Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, founding father of Okada Air; Late Alhaji Ahmadu Dan kabo, founding father of Kabo Air; Capt Robert Hayes, Nigeria’s first licensed pilot; Chief Mbazulike Amechi, former Minister of Aviation and instrumental in establishing Nigerian Airways; Chief Allen Ifechukwu Onyema, Air Peace founder, promoted native content material and invested in Nigerian youths’ coaching; Dr Emmanuel Enekwechi, contributed to the aviation business’s development; Capt. August Okpe, founder and CEO of Okpe Aviation Companies, Nigeria’s first indigenous aviation engineering firm.
Others embody: Capt Ado Sanusi, Chief Wale Babalakin, Sir Joseph Arumemi, Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu, Capt Dele Ore, Capt Wale Makinde, Capt Ibrahim Mshella, Capt Dapo Olumide, Ms Bimbo Sosina, Capt Benoni Briggs, Mrs Deola Olukunle, Dr Thomas Ogunbangbe, Capt Edward Boyo, Dr Gbenga Olowo, Elder Dr Soji Amusan, Engr Awogbemi Clement, Sen Musa Adede, Georg Eder Mba, Capt Prex Porbeni, Capt Chinyere Kali, Harold Demure, Akin Olateru, Capt Felix Iheanacho, Capt Peter Adenihun, amongst others.
