- Onyema also lauded the Nigerian military for their sacrifices in maintaining the nation’s unity and protecting it from external threats
On Thursday, Air Peace airline announced its plans to offer discounted flight ticket rates to both current and retired members of the Nigerian military.
Allen Onyema, the airline’s chairman, made this announcement while receiving an honorary Doctor of Management Science Degree from the Nigerian Defence Academy during its 33rd Convocation Ceremony held in Kaduna.
Onyema also lauded the Nigerian military for their sacrifices in maintaining the nation’s unity and protecting it from external threats.
He praised the Nigerian military, considering it one of the world’s finest, and urged the recent graduates of the academy to utilize their freshly acquired skills and knowledge to safeguard the nation and contribute to its progress.
He said: “When we started Air Peace in 2014, I announced that officers of the Nigerian military- serving and retired- should be flying at 10,000 naira then. In 2022, we also introduced a priority boarding policy for military officers to honour them. For all they are doing for the country, we need to motivate them.
“We also have decided to offer the military rebate on flight tickets and the specifics will be announced soon for both serving and retired officers. We’ll also work with this institution. I’ll discuss with the commandant and his executives to see what I can do for this institution.”
He lauded the military for their huge sense of pride, patriotism and nationalism, stressing that, “I have to say it categorically that despite the challenges, the Nigerian military still remains one of the best in the world.
“You have to consider what they go through and the circumstances in which they operate.
“You have to consider the stigmatisation of Nigeria as a country and that makes it impossible for the Nigerian government to access the right military equipment where the foreign powers stop us from getting it; yet the Nigerian military is performing. And we have to applaud them.
“They face all manner of adversity, they are fighting on all fronts- both territorial borders and in confronting the rising insecurity in the country. These are the people making the sacrifices for the security of our nation.”
Stressing the need for Nigerians to embrace broad nationalism, Onyema asserted that: “We should begin to engender broad nationalism where every Nigerian will be proud to say I’m a Nigerian instead of talking about their ethnicities. The earlier we fight for each other, the better for us. We want a situation where you profess the unity of the country in truth and in practice. It’s very important.”
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