Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace, and the Umueri community in the Anambra East Local Government Area have in a war of words over the ownership and payment for land allocated for a proposed Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility at the Chinua Achebe International Cargo Airport.

The dispute arises from claims circulating on social media alleging that Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, paid N100m to the Umueri community for the land, a claim the community has vehemently refutted.

While the airline maintained that its chairman indeed paid N100m for the property in question, it clarified that the payment was made to the Anambra State Government, not the community.

It will be recalled that the airline laid the foundation for a N32 bn MRO facility at the Lagos airport in August.

According to the Vanguard Newspaper’s report of the development on Tuesday, the Umueri community issued a statement titled ‘Umueri Community Sets the Record Straight,’ in which its traditional ruler, Igwe Bennett Emeka, dismissed the reports as false and misleading.

“The false claims allege that Chief Onyema decided to site his N32 bn MRO facility in Lagos because the local community refused to provide land for the project, even after he had paid them N100m for that purpose.

The Umueri community categorically states that these claims are false and misleading, the monarch was quoted have said.

He explained that Chief Onyema’s application for land to build an MRO facility at the airport was approved by the then governor, Chief Willie Obiano, who also allocated another portion of land to the Nigerian Air Force.

The monarch emphasised that the Umueri community neither allocated land to nor received any payment from the Air Peace chairman.

“It is not true that Chief Onyema paid the Umueri community N100 m. We never allocated any land to him. The Anambra State Government did. We, therefore, could not have demanded or received any payment from him,” he said.

He added that the community has documentary evidence to support its position and is ready to present it to the relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, in a swift rebuttal, Air Peace, through a statement issued by its spokesperson, Osifo-Whiskey Efe, insisted that the airline’s chairman did not misrepresent any facts concerning the land transaction.

The statement, titled ‘Anambra Airport – Allen Onyema Did Not Lie About Paying N100m for Aircraft Maintenance Facility Land,’ stressed that Air Peace’s dealings were solely with the Anambra State Government, not the Umueri community.

“To begin with, the Umueri community was never accused of any wrongdoing by Dr. Onyema or by Air Peace. At no time was any statement issued suggesting that the community refused land allocation, received money, or was in dispute with Air Peace over the MRO project. The Igwe’s media release, therefore, is unprovoked, baseless, and entirely misplaced,” the statement read in part.

Air Peace confirmed that the N100 m was paid directly to the Anambra State Government on August 26, 2021, with an official receipt issued for the transaction. A Certificate of Occupancy for the land was subsequently granted on September 14, 2021.

The airline also shared a copy of the receipt as evidence of payment, noting that “It must be clearly stated that Dr. Onyema does not lie about anything. His personal and professional integrity is evident in his transparent record of service to Nigeria and his unwavering commitment to national development.”

Describing the circulating claims as “false, malicious, defamatory, and entirely without merit,” Air Peace reaffirmed its commitment to completing the MRO project for the benefit of Nigeria’s aviation sector.

“Dr Onyema’s vision for the Air Peace MRO remains rooted in patriotism and progress, a project conceived to create jobs, strengthen Nigeria’s aviation industry, and position the country as a hub for aircraft maintenance in Africa,” the airline added. (PUNCH)