Allen Onyema’s Uncommon Humanity 

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,” says John 15:12-13.

It’s doubtful if there is one man that obeys this biblical law like the Chairman of Air Peace, Barrister Allen Onyema. He may not have been a servant at the vineyard of God. He may not even have been an altar boy, but he has taken the command as his guiding philosophy.

Even while some naysayers sneer and insinuated that his milk of kindness may be laced with some ulterior or political undertone, he has kept it up, leaving no room for the doubting Thomases to realise that the trained lawyer is naturally a man given to giving and doesn’t need to be involved in such acts to gain relevance, politically or otherwise. Those close to him say his love for humanity knows no bounds, and he spares no expense to translate this in several ways.

In his characteristic manner, he announced on Monday that his airline would be willing to transport any Nigerian trapped in the violence in Sudan for free. This is happening against the backdrop of the continuing insurrection in the nation. The airline stated that students from Nigeria and others trapped in the war-torn country needed assistance.

With the closure of Sudan’s airspace to civil aviation flights, the Chairman of Air Peace has assured that if Nigerians could be moved to a neighbouring country, the airline would fly there and evacuate them, as Sudan’s airspace is closed from civil aviation flights.

It’s not the first time Onyema’s selfless act is on display. During the xenophobic attacks against Africans living in South Africa in 2019 which put the lives of Nigerians in danger, Air Peace sent out flights to evacuate Nigerians there.

Onyema’s  charitable giant strides over the years only go to support the axiom that, “In, if you have been blessed with wealth, it is not just enough to live the life of your dreams; what is most important is the legacy you leave behind and how many lives you have impacted positively.”