The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace and the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Chief Allen Onyema and Professor Obiora Okonkwo respectively have appealed to Nigerians on the need to be one another’s keeper in working together for peace and unity of the country.
The duo made the remarks on Monday at a dinner party they organised in honour of High Chief Christopher Ndubuisi and High Chief Kenneth Ifekudu (OFR) who were recently conferred with prestigious awards as men who have distinguished themselves and left indelible marks in their various fields of endeavour.
While High Chief Ndubuisi, the chairman of Pinnatech Group, Abuja, emerged the winner of the Sun Investor of the Year 2024 and Champion Newspapers’ 2024 Manufacturer of the Year Awards, High Chief Ifekudu, the Managing Director of Diamond Leeds Limited, got the Sun Business Man of the Year award as well as Champion Newspaper Philanthropist of the Year 2024.
Onyema said that the era of unhealthy competition was over. He said although he and Okonkwo were in the same line of business, they are still best of friends.
“We share so much love because both of us believe that the sky is too big for everybody. There is no need for devilish competition. There is a need for collaboration. It is about our nation, Nigeria, and we have to make it move.
“So, we don’t have to compete devilishly. He is my friend. We discuss together and find out ways of improving our services together.”
He added that every Nigerian must imbibe the spirit of love and unity, devoid of ethnic or religious sentiments.
“All of us come from one God. Whether Muslim or Christian or Hindu or whatever. We all come from one God, and except we all understand this, we know no peace. Whether Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Efik, Ibiobio, Gwari, Nupe, Fulani, all of us are from one God.
“So when you hate people because of their tribe or God, you are killing yourself. It is not the person you hate. It is like you are drinking poison and expecting somebody to die for the poison you are taking. It won’t take you anywhere. So love is the name of the game,” Onyema told Tribune Online.
In his own submission, Professor Okonkwo stressed the importance of love and unity for humanity and for Nigeria to move forward saying that is what has been keeping him and Onyema together.
“We are not rivals. We are brothers, we are associates, we are allies. It is that spirit we are preaching. It can work with you. It can work with anybody if they believe in it. We thank God, we called to celebrate two of our very own Abuja Stars and I’m glad they responded, and we had fun.
“We give God all the glory. I pray He will continue to shower His grace upon me and upon all of us, so that we will always do his will, which will in turn benefit the rest of humanity and glorify His name,” he said.
The honourees thanked the organisers for the dinner with the promise to continue to do more for the downtrodden and the underprivileged in society.
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