Emir of Kano vs Air Peace: Arewa Group Calls for Intervention by Prominent Nigerians, Gives Reasons
The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has called on prominent Nigerians to intercede in the misunderstanding between the office of the director of protocol, Alhaji Isa Bayero and the management of Peace Air "for peace to reign, once and for all."
Legit.ng reports that the plea was made on Sunday, February 27, in a statement issued by the national president of the group, Yerima Shettima.
Source: Original
He said that it is worrisome that a viable solution to the ongoing misunderstanding seems far away because elders in the country are yet to either pay attention to it or make move in the interest of peace.
Shettima, in the statement, expressed surprise that the Air Peace chairman, Allen Onyema, is being accused of disrespecting the Emir of Kano, saying that the Onyeama he knows has never ever been linked to disrespect for monarch in the north, not to talk of the Emir of Kano.
Onyema is a peace-loving man
He explained that the Air Peace chairman has made business sacrifices, evacuating Nigerians from troubled spots around the world, with the most recent being that of South Africa's xenophobic attacks.
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The AYCF said:
"Turning to the favour of delayed flight, I gave an instance of what happened two years ago, when I humbly asked the Air Peace chairman to delay a flight for us, in the entourage of chairman Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Professor Ango Abdullahi, the CNG chairman Board of Trustees, Nastura Ashir Shariff and he promptly did.
"I can recall vividly that we were traveling by road from Ibadan to Lagos in order to catch the Air Peace plane for our return to Abuja that time, and he did that favour by delaying the flight for over an hour-notwithstanding I'm not a revered monarch like His Royal Highness, the current Emir of Kano. And the Peace Air chairman later told me why he did that favour. He said he delayed flight because you and Ango Abdullahi were doing peace shuttles around Nigeria to douse certain tensions.
According to him, Onyema had told him that he would do anything for peace to reign in the country hence he delayed the flight
He said the group hopes the matter does not get out of hand or create the wrong impression that the Air Peace chairman was being needlessly intimidated by the Emirate's director of protocol.
Shettima added:
"As a group, the AYCF holds the Emir of Kano in very high esteem and it is well-known that if anyone had ever tried to belittle any Emir in the North, we would be the first to fire back. And that is why we are disturbed that our dear Emirate and Peace matter has become protracted."
Why intervention by prominent Nigerians is needed
The AYCF, in the statement also urged prominent Nigerians to intervene very quickly in the interest of peace.
The group said:
"We don't want our beloved Kano, the financial nerve centre of the north to have a lesser number of commercial airlines plying the state.
"Tactical diplomacy is required in ending the worrisome problem and prominent Nigerians are best suited to handle this important matter involving two important pillars of Kano's economic growth - the royal father whose blessing is needed to move Kano forward and the Peace Air which is providing vital business services for the state."
Lagos-bound Dana Airplane makes emergency landing over bad weather
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that a Dana Air aircraft heading to Lagos on Wednesday, February 23, allegedly developed a fault midair and was forced to make an emergency landing in Abuja.
It was reported that although the said fault was not ascertained at the time of the incident, the pilot reportedly told passengers during the flight that the plane could not get to its destination.
After the emergency landing, the pilot said he took the decision for safety reasons.
Source: Legit.ng
