Allen Onyema: the flight path from humble beginnings to aviation mogul
Allen Onyema is a Nigerian entrepreneur and lawyer who is also widely recognised as the CEO of Air Peace, a private Nigerian airline. He started the airline as a way of creating jobs for people, and today it has grown to be the largest airline in Nigeria and West Africa.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Allen Onyema founded Air Peace in 2013 with the help of engineer Gbolahan Abatan, CEO of AirFirst Maintenance.
- He started the airline out of a passion and to provide job opportunities to other people.
- The entrepreneur has four children: Nnnenna, Chinonso, Obinna, and Ugochukwu.
- Allen Onyema began his career as a legal practitioner, before he ventured into entrepreneurship and then became the CEO and founder of Air Peace.
Profile summary
| Full name | Allen Ifechukwu Onyema |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | 28 March 1964 |
| Age | 61 years old (as of 2025) |
| Zodiac sign | Aries |
| Place of birth | Anambra State, Nigeria |
| Current residence | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Tribe | Igbo |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Hair colour | Black |
| Eye colour | Brown |
| Mother | Helen Onyema |
| Father | Michael Chukwuka Onyema |
| Siblings | 8 |
| Marital status | Married |
| Wife | Alice Ojochida Onyema |
| Children | 4 |
| School | St. Anthony’s Secondary School, Azia |
| College | University of Ibadan, Nigerian Law School |
| Profession | Entrepreneur, lawyer |
Allen Onyema’s biography
Allen Onyema’s state of origin is Anambra. He was born in Mbosi town in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State and spent his childhood in Benin and Warri. He is the eldest of nine children.
His parents are Michael and Helen Onyema. His mother succumbed to kidney failure in 1991. According to a post by Air Peace, his father passed away in 2019.
How old is Allen Onyema?
The Nigerian entrepreneur is 61 years old as of 2025. He was born in 1964. According to a Facebook post by Air Peace, he celebrates his birthday on the 28th of March.
Where did Allen Onyema study?
Allen attended several schools, including St. Anthony’s Secondary School, Azia. He went to one of the best universities in Nigeria, the University of Ibadan, to study law and graduated in 1987. He also went to the Nigerian Law School and was called to the bar in 1989.
Source: Original
From courtroom to cockpit: Onyema’s inspiring career path
Allen started his career as a lawyer after graduating from the Nigerian Law School. He left for Lagos, the first capital of Nigeria, in 1990 to search for a law firm that could employ him. Allen got an opportunity to learn from the late Chief Vincent Amobi Nwizugbo, who later employed him. However, he quit his job to start a real estate business.
Allen revealed in an interview with Wode Maya that he started a real estate company and an export and import training company by 1991. He later started doing philanthropic activities and lending people money to start businesses and pay school fees.
Allen realised that no matter how much he helped them, they kept on coming back for more, and it made him feel they were taking advantage of him. His father, Michael, suggested that he start a business to employ those people instead of lending them money now and then.
By 1991, I had become big because I went into real estate. I had a real estate company… I had a trading company too, import and export trade. So I had these things going for me at a very young age. Now after some time I was making money… I was doing a lot of philanthropy.
Source: UGC
He added,
I have so many people on my foundation…that I pay school fees for them… I have people who come to me saying, ‘I want to do business; would you give me this xyz amount of money or dollars?’ You give them the next moment they come back again…some of them are taking advantage of me too. So my father said, ‘Why not set up a business and get these people employed instead of giving them money?’
The entrepreneur revealed in a documentary that he started Air Peace as a way to provide job opportunities for people. He grew passionate about creating jobs.
Air Peace was born out of the passion for job creation. Someone told me that going into aviation, that one Boeing 737 jet could give jobs to 1,000 people, and that wowed me.
He knew nothing about the aviation industry and therefore sought help from engineer Gbolahan Abatan, who taught him what he needed to know about aviation.
I called Engineer Gbolahan Abatan… I contracted him. So, he was the one that taught me everything I need in aviation. I didn’t even know what "cycle" meant…all I had was my passion.
The Nigerian lawyer went to France with Abatan and bought his first jet, a Dornier 328, after learning and understanding more about aviation. He revealed in an interview with Air Peace that he cried when he purchased his first aircraft, remembering the humble background he came from.
I remember the day I bought my first aircraft. That was my Dornier 328 jet. I was in Monaco, where we negotiated, myself and engineer Gbolahan Abatan… I cried; I wept. When we were flying, I was just sitting there in the aircraft, and I looked down and told myself, ‘Oh, so I bought this aircraft?’ Growing up from a humble beginning and getting to where I was then, the feeling was a very emotional moment.
Source: UGC
After he bought his first three jets, he said that would be enough to give 3000 jobs. He decided to start his airline to employ people and called it Air Peace. The entrepreneur established the airline in 2013.
In 2014, things turned out badly, and he almost shut down the airline because he did not have the Air Operator's Certificate. He worried that people would lose their jobs, and that was the main reason he started the airline. However, the issue got sorted when the NCAA directors got involved.
He later partnered with Fidelity Bank, and they provided him with funding to support the growth of the airline. Today, Air Peace has grown to become the largest airline in Nigeria and West Africa. Air Peace has over 38 planes, some of which he has named after his family members.
Allen Onyema is proud of his success, and revealed in the aforementioned interview with Air Peace that he gets motivation when he sees his airplanes taking off and landing.
The motivation, the only satisfaction I get, is when I get to the airport and see my airplanes taking off and landing. It raises my adrenaline. I like seeing it. I like going on the streets and looking towards the sky and seeing an aircraft, and it is Air Peace. It makes me happy.
What is Allen Onyema’s net worth?
Source: UGC
According to Nairaland, the Nigerian entrepreneur’s net worth is alleged to be $3 billion. He reportedly owns 38 planes. Some of the aircraft he owns include Boeing 737s and Dornier 338s.
Who is Allen Onyema’s wife?
He is married to Alice Ojochida, a philanthropist and the vice chairman of Air Peace. As per an interview with Nairaland, he married her in 1993. The two met in Abuja.
He never had plans of marriage when he met her, but because of his mother, he got married at the age of 27.
His mother told him that his father wanted to see the girls Allen would like to marry. He gave her a wedding invitation to his sister's wedding, and she agreed to come.
I met her in Abuja at a time I never thought of marriage. I married at the age of 27! It actually started with my late mum. One morning in 1991, just a few days to my immediate younger sister’s wedding, she told me that she and my dad would want to know the girl I would like to marry when the time comes....She agreed to come for my younger sister’s wedding on my invitation.
Source: UGC
How many children does Allen Onyema have?
He has four children: Nnnenna, Chinonso, Obinna, and Ugochukwu. Allen Onyema’s daughter, Nnenna, is a lawyer and management trainee at Air Peace. According to her LinkedIn profile, she attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Nnenna represents her father in important events.
The famous lawyer named four of his Boeing 737s after his children.
FAQs
- Who is Allen Onyema? He is a Nigerian entrepreneur and lawyer known as the CEO of Air Peace airline.
- Which state is Allen Onyema from? The Nigerian entrepreneur hails from Anambra State.
- Does Allen Onyema have children? He has three children with his wife, Alice: Nnnenna, Chinonso, Obinna and Ugochukwu.
- Who are Allen Onyema’s parents? His parents are Michael and Helen Onyema.
- How many aircraft does Air Peace have? Allen Onyema’s airline has approximately 38 planes.
- Where is Allen Onyema’s wife from? Alice Ojochida is from the Igala tribe of Kogi State.
Allen Onyema is a Nigerian entrepreneur, best known as the founder and CEO of Air Peace. He started small as a real estate businessman and is now the owner of the biggest airline in Nigeria and West Africa. Onyema is married to Alice Ojochida, and they have four children.
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