Biography
Allen Ifechukwu Onyema is the Chairman of of Air Peace Airline, he is a Nigerian lawyer and entrepreneur.
Marriage
Allen Onyema tied the knot with his wife Alice Ojochiba Onyema, she is from Igala woman in Kogi state in 1993.
Children
They’re blessed with four children, Nnenna, his first-child, Chinonso his first-son, second child, Obinna – his second son and Ugochukwu – his last son.
Family
He was born in March 1964 in Benin City to Michael and Helen Onyema as the first of nine children. He hails from Anambra State, Nigeria.
Age
March 1964
Education
Allen studied law at the University of Ibadan and graduated in 1987.
He attended the Nigerian Law School and was called to Bar in 1989.
He attended several Schools including Government College, Ughelli, Delta state.
He left Government College in 1984 having obtained his Higher School Certificate and was directly offered admission to read law at the Nigeria’s Premier University, The University of Ibadan in the same year.
He attended the Government College in Ugheli during his secondary school days and also obtained a Law degree at the prominent University of Ibadan after he (Allen Onyema) left Government College in 1984.
Allen Onyema was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1989 and started his legal practice in 1990 in Chief Vincent Amobi’s Law Firm – Nwizugbo & Company at Lagos although he had glaring opportunity to work in Shell Oil Company. He later ascended to become the Head of Chambers in Nwizugbo & Company two years later.
Air Peace
In 2013, Onyema founded Air Peace, as a private Nigerian airline. According to him, the business was borne out of the interest to create jobs for people. Although, the process began far back in 2007, but it encountered many hassles. Then, right about when Allen wanted to give up the airline dreams, solution came.
Today, Air Peace provide services to major cities of Nigeria and fly to other international destinations such as; Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, United Arab Emirates, India, China, USA and Gambia.
It is one of the biggest airline in Nigeria with series of aircraft including 3 Boeings 777.
Firstly, he organised the 1st Nigeria Forever Project in 2005, with the support of the Federal Government. The project which was done to promote broad nationalism as against ethnic nationalism became successful.
In September 2019, Allen was instrumental in the evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa as a result of Xenophobic attack. This act has remained a laudable effort as he was able to converge hundreds of Nigerians willing to return to their dear country.
Source of wealth
Allen Onyema established a real-estate business which he called Allen Onyema & Company and he also runs an import trade outfit called Continental Business Links Ltd. He is also the owner of Air peace, a private Nigerian airline that was founded in 2013 but took off on 24th October 2017 due to some hassles, its headquarters in Lagos State. Air Peace is known to provide transport service by air to the major cities in Nigeria as well as other countries such as Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, United Arab Emirates, USA, Gambia, and more.
Net Worth
Allen Ifechukwu Onyema is one of the most influential and richest men in Nigeria with multiple sources of income.
Allen Onyema’s net worth is an estimated $300m.
Awards And Recognitions:
Chief Allen has received various prestigious awards both nationally and internationally. He won the hosting rights for International Conference on Nonviolence and Peace in 2007.
- The 2007 Martin Luther King Global Award for Pioneering Nonviolence Education in West Africa
- Hope for Humanity Award – Rotary Club
- 2006 Africa Leadership Merit Award – Africa International news magazine
- L&M leader of the month award in 2019 for demonstration of compassion and meeting a need
Controversy
In March 2022, Authorities in the U.S. state of Georgia have dissolved Springfield Aviation Company LLC allegedly used for bank fraud and money laundering by the CEO and Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema.
The company, incorporated and based in Georgia State, is said to have been deficient in filing its annual registration, after the U.S. Department of Justice filed charges against its principals, including Mr Onyema in 2019.
Owned and controlled by Mr Onyema, Springfield Aviation Company LLC was formed on April 4, 2016, as a domestic limited liability company to carry on any legitimate business, documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES show.
But on November 22, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the charging of Mr Onyema, accusing him of moving more than $20 million from Nigeria through United States bank accounts in a scheme involving false documents based on the purchase of aeroplanes.
Mr Onyema was charged alongside Air Peace Limited’s Head of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha.
They both face 36 charges of conspiracy, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and credit application fraud in connection with the $20million scheme.
One of the companies used in committing the alleged offences is Springfield Aviation LLC, prosecutors said.
“Beginning in approximately May 2016, Onyema, together with Eghagha, allegedly used a series of export letters of credit to cause banks to transfer more than $20 million into Atlanta-based bank accounts controlled by Onyema,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia said in a November 22, 2019 statement announcing the indictment of the two suspects.
“The letters of credit were purportedly to fund the purchase of five separate Boeing 737 passenger planes by Air
Peace. The letters were supported by documents such as purchase agreements, bills of sale, and appraisals proving that Air Peace was purchasing the aircraft from Springfield Aviation Company LLC, a business registered in Georgia.
“However, the supporting documents were fake — Springfield Aviation Company LLC, which is owned by Onyema and managed by a person with no connection to the aviation business, never owned the aircraft, and the company that allegedly drafted the appraisals did not exist. Eghagha allegedly participated in this scheme as well, directing the Springfield Aviation manager to sign and send false documents to banks and even using the manager’s identity to further the fraud.
“After Onyema received the money in the United States, he allegedly laundered over $16 million of the proceeds of the fraud by transferring it to other accounts.”
Chief Onyema was once accused of bank and money laundering by the United States Justice Department, an allegation which he denied. According to him, “the allegations are false and in no way in line with my character as a person and as a businessman” The US Justice Department, Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia alleged that Allen Onyema and the company’s chief of administration and finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, illegally moved more than $20 million through an American bank account using false documents to procure airplanes for Air Peace.
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