President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent two-day state visit to Brazil has begun to yield tangible outcomes, with Air Peace and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer signing an agreement to establish a world-class Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Lagos.
LEADERSHIP reports that the signing of the MRO agreement is seen as a breakthrough for Nigeria’s aviation industry, which has long relied on foreign facilities for heavy aircraft maintenance, often at high costs and with significant operational delays.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, who was part of the Presidential contingent that travelled to Brazil in a major diplomatic interface, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after returning to Nigeria.
Onyema returned on Wednesday in the company of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, the minister of Information and Orientation, Muhammed Idris, chairman/CEO of Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, among others.
Speaking to Journalists, Onyema said the maintenance centre for the Embraer jets would not serve only Nigeria but also other African countries.
According to Onyema, the foundation-laying ceremony for the maintenance hangar would be on September 17th, 2025, in Lagos.
“We are increasing our partnership with Embraer, and by September 17, we will lay down the foundation for the maintenance hangar with Embraer. We will build a foundation on September 17 here in Lagos, and within 12 or 15 months, that maintenance hangar will be ready to go. Embraer provides maintenance support to the maintenance centre. So we have a lot of huge opportunities for this country.”
“We are no longer going to do maintenance checks outside the country. We do it here, and other countries will come to Nigeria to do it. I have to thank the government, really, as they made it easy for us to get some of these things going by removing those obstacles that inhibit business progress.”
Onyema also stated that the President’s visit to the South American country would open new vistas of opportunities for Nigeria.
According to Onyema, Nigeria can now connect to Brazil within 7 hours instead of over 2 days of connecting to the country.
“The visit is going to open up both countries. It was a good thing that the President had to do some of these things to open up the country and also attract investment. They signed a lot of MOUs there. They are going to change things. One thing that really impressed me is the fact that they are seeking the kind of partnership that will respect our sovereignty.
“The kind of partnership that will be symbiotic in implementation, not the one that will be parasitic or bullish. That’s the kind of partnership the President has been seeking, and to be honest with you, I saw it firsthand, the love the Brazilian President showed.
“The Brazilians are so eager to work with Nigeria. And, you know, they are over and above us in so many things, technology and so on, and they are ready to let those things bear. The connectivity now becomes a problem. Most of the Nigerian ministers who travelled on Saturday, I got there before them because they were going around the world, and they spent two days before they got to Brazil, but I just spent seven hours.
“It was a demonstration of what to expect when we start operations towards the end of this year,” Onyema stated.
Onyema stated further that the airline would service the whole of South America and the Caribbean countries.
“The Brazilian story is like the Nigerian story, too. We have a lot in common; the potential is there. We’re not just going to service Brazil alone, but we’re going to service the entire South American continent. On September 1st, I’m going to have a meeting with the Vice President of Colombia. They sent for me also because they all want it. And they believe that Air Peace would do it because of what we are doing in the Caribbean, too,” he stated.
