🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
Air Peace CEO calls for aviation tax review and economic boycott of South Africa
via Punch Nigeria4 min read
Allen Onyema, Vice President of the Airlines Operators of Nigeria and CEO of Air Peace, has urged President Bola Tinubu to establish a committee to review taxes and charges in the aviation sector. Onyema stated that excessive levies, particularly the five percent passenger service charge collected by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, have contributed to the collapse of several Nigerian airlines. He proposed an independent committee comprising technocrats, aviation experts, and industry operators to address these issues. Beyond aviation, Onyema also advocated for an economic boycott of South Africa by Nigerians in response to recurring xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals. While supporting calls for consequences, he cautioned against violence or reprisals targeting South African businesses in Nigeria, noting that many Nigerians hold investments in such companies. Instead, he suggested withholding investment and patronage from South Africa as a non-violent, yet powerful, form of retaliation. He argued that withdrawing financial support would send a stronger message than street protests or violence, and that South African authorities have failed to adequately protect foreigners during outbreaks of xenophobic violence.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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Must ReadAllen Onyema, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, has called on Nigerians to implement a non-violent economic boycott of South Africa. This appeal comes in response to ongoing xenophobic attacks targeting African migrants, including Nigerians, in South Africa. Onyema, speaking on Arise Television, advocated for Nigerians to cease investing in South Africa and instead encourage their businesses to invest within Nigeria under terms set by the Nigerian government. He criticized South African authorities for their perceived failure to protect foreign nationals during periods of unrest, questioning the absence of adequate security forces to prevent attacks. Onyema highlighted the positive contributions of many Nigerian migrants to the South African economy through business establishment and job creation. While supporting calls for stronger diplomatic action, he explicitly rejected violent retaliation against South Africans or South African-owned businesses in Nigeria, citing that many Nigerians hold shares in these companies and benefit from the employment they provide. His remarks follow renewed anti-foreigner protests in South Africa, which have led to demands for undocumented migrants to leave the country by June 30.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, has criticized Peter Obi's pledge to increase Nigeria's electricity generation by 10,000 megawatts within four years if elected president in 2027. Onanuga stated that Nigeria already possesses an installed generation capacity of approximately 13,500 megawatts, suggesting Obi's promise indicates a misunderstanding of the country's power infrastructure. He identified the primary challenges in the power sector as structural constraints, including insufficient gas supply, substantial legacy debts owed to gas suppliers amounting to over N4 trillion, and deficiencies in the national transmission network. Onanuga highlighted that many power plants are underutilized due to these issues. He also mentioned President Bola Tinubu's commitment to power sector reform, evidenced by the signing of the Electricity Act, which empowers states to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity. Onanuga noted that some states are already leveraging this new framework, and he claimed an improvement in power generation under the current administration since May 2023. He further described the national grid as outdated and mentioned ongoing government reforms, including the proposed Grid Asset Management Company Limited, aimed at modernizing critical assets.