By Adekunle Williams and Solomon Asowata
Lagos – Air Peace has expressed its readiness to train 52 executive members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on non-violence education in Nigeria and at Emory University, U.S.
The Chairman of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema made the announcement in a statement issued by the Corporate Communication Manager of the airline, Mr Chris Iwarah on Tuesday.
Onyema, who made the announcement when NANS leaders visited the airline’s corporate headquarters in Lagos, said he training would cost the airline over N300 million.
According to the chairman, the airline will also henceforth fly leaders of NANS and all other categories of students to school on resumption and out of school on vacation for a flat fare of N18,000.
He said the airline was offering a fare much better than the 15 per cent discount the students sought because of its belief in the youths’ capacity to transform the country.
Onyema commended the executive of NANS for pursuing issues relating to the country’s well being without ethnic considerations, saying the nation needed a pool of focused, detribalised and non-violent youths to drive its development agenda.
He urged NANS executive to regard the opportunity offered by the airline to train them on non-violence education with seriousness, stressing that they were expected to return to the country as non-violence experts.
The chairman said this would enable them to
support the campaign for peace the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN) had championed for many years.
“I like being in the midst of youths who are detribalised in their struggles. Let no one use you to foment trouble.
“In 2004 when there was militancy that greatly affected oil production in the country, I used FEHN to fight the crisis and a lot of the militants were transformed.
“I have used FEHN to fight ethnicity in the country for many years. What gives me joy is broad nationalism and not ethnic and divisive nationalism. What we need in Nigeria is broad nationalism,” Onyema said.
Earlier, NANS Senate President, Mr Salam Oyejide commended Air Peace for distinguishing itself with top-notch flight services.
He said Air Peace had been endorsed as the official airline of Nigerian students and appealed to the carrier to grant students a 15 per cent rebate on all fares to enable them enjoy the safe flight services offered by the airline.