Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace, and the Umueri community in the Anambra East Local Government Area have clashed over the ownership and payment for land allocated for a proposed Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the Chinua Achebe International Cargo Airport, Anambra.
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The dispute followed claims circulating on social media alleging that Air Peace Chairman, Dr. Allen Onyema, paid N100 million to the Umueri community for the land — a claim the community has strongly refuted.
While the airline maintained that the payment was indeed made, it clarified that the N100 million was paid directly to the Anambra State Government, not to the Umueri community.
It will be recalled that Air Peace laid the foundation for a N32 billion MRO facility at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in August.
According to a Vanguard report, the Umueri community issued a statement titled “Umueri Community Sets the Record Straight” in which its traditional ruler, Igwe Bennett Emeka, dismissed the social media reports as false and misleading.
“The false claims allege that Chief Onyema decided to site his N32 billion MRO facility in Lagos because the local community refused to provide land for the project, even after he had paid them N100 million for that purpose. The Umueri community categorically states that these claims are false and misleading,” the monarch said.
He explained that Onyema’s application for land to build the MRO facility at the Anambra airport was approved by the then governor, Chief Willie Obiano, who also allocated another portion of land to the Nigerian Air Force.
The traditional ruler stressed that the Umueri community neither allocated land to nor received any payment from the Air Peace chairman.
“It is not true that Chief Onyema paid the Umueri community N100 million. We never allocated any land to him. The Anambra State Government did. We therefore could not have demanded or received any payment from him,” he said, adding that the community has documentary evidence to back its position and is ready to present it to the appropriate authorities.
In a swift reaction, Air Peace issued a statement titled “Anambra Airport – Allen Onyema Did Not Lie About Paying N100m for Aircraft Maintenance Facility Land” through its spokesperson, Osifo-Whiskey Efe.
The airline stated that its chairman, Dr. Onyema, never misrepresented any facts about the land transaction, emphasizing that all dealings were strictly with the Anambra State Government.
“To begin with, the Umueri community was never accused of any wrongdoing by Dr. Onyema or by Air Peace. At no time was any statement issued suggesting that the community refused land allocation, received money, or was in dispute with Air Peace over the MRO project. The Igwe’s media release, therefore, is unprovoked, baseless, and entirely misplaced,” the statement read.
Air Peace confirmed that the N100 million payment was made directly to the Anambra State Government on August 26, 2021, with an official receipt issued. A Certificate of Occupancy for the land, according to the airline, was later granted on September 14, 2021.
The airline shared a copy of the receipt as proof of payment and defended its chairman’s integrity, saying, “It must be clearly stated that Dr. Onyema does not lie about anything. His personal and professional integrity is evident in his transparent record of service to Nigeria and his unwavering commitment to national development.”
Describing the circulating reports as “false, malicious, defamatory, and entirely without merit,” Air Peace reaffirmed its commitment to completing the MRO project for the benefit of Nigeria’s aviation sector.
“Dr. Onyema’s vision for the Air Peace MRO remains rooted in patriotism and progress a project conceived to create jobs, strengthen Nigeria’s aviation industry, and position the country as a hub for aircraft maintenance in Africa,” the statement added.
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