Allen Onyema, Chairman of Air Peace, encouraged Nigerians aboard his flight to work together to ensure that Nigeria remains one nation.
He said this while speaking to passengers aboard flight 7120, operated by the airline’s Boeing 777, from Lagos to Abuja on Wednesday, June 16.
He asked passengers to not be discouraged by the recent separationist events, insisting that Nigerians have an interest in living as one united nation.
“The diversity we have is the best thing that ever happened to this nation. Let us make it work,” he said.
He explained that America is diverse, with Igbo-Americans, African Americans, and people from every ethnicity and race yet the first thing these people do when they get the American passport is to profess their love for the nation. He said Nigerians do the opposite, professing allegiance to tribe.
“However, in my country, with all our diversity, the first thing we profess is our ethnicity; ‘I’m Igbo, I’m Yoruba, I’m Hausa.’ Can we stop this?” he lamented.
He said the country can be better but it will take collective effort, not just effort from the government. He encouraged Nigerians to have hope in the country and never lose hope.
Watch him speak in the video below.
