The lawmaker representing Oyo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Sen Kola Balogun has put an end to the controversy over who actually facilitated the coming of Air Peace to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Newspeakonline quoted the outgoing lawmaker as making the revelation while featuring on ‘South West Political Circuit,’ a programme on Ibadan-based radio station, Fresh 105.9FM on Saturday.
Narrating how he met the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema on a flight to Dubai, he said: At a point, Overland was monopolising Ibadan-Abuja route and he was raising the fare at will. I was worried about that. I flew on the maiden flight of Air Peace to Dubai, I met Chief Onyema on that flight. So, we became friends and he also invited me to join the airport reception at Dubai. Nigeria’s Ambassador to UAE and his team were also there. That’s how I met and got to know him.”
The lawmaker stated that when he was worried about how to break the monopoly of Overland, which has been operating in Ibadan for years, he called Onyema.
“I said do you know I am from Ibadan, he said, yes I know. He told me that he has an emotional attachment to Ibadan. I said how? He said ‘I went to UI.’ I said good, give us an aircraft to come and ply Ibadan-Abuja, there is traffic here. He said no problem. He said do you know something, the biggest and the best guest house in UI, he is the one building it for them. I said you are a son of the soil afterall, he said yes he is a son of the soil. He said most of his aircraft have been sent overseas for routine maintainance, that once they come back, he will give us one.
“To cut the long story short, I kept on harassing him until the day he was ready to give us. If you noticed, I flew on that maiden flight from Abuja. i was invited, I was on that maiden flight to Ibadan. Then at the airport, the governor was there, the late Olubadan was also there. He also said it publicly that Dr Kola Balogun is the one that has been harassing me and I thought we should do it. Air Peace came to Ibadan because I encouraged Air Peace to come to Ibadan,” Balogun added.
The senator, who reeled out his achievements, also gave the 9th National Assembly a pass mark, especially in the area of budget passage and working with the executive arm of government.
He, however, added that he wished the incoming 10th National Assembly will make a law that will remove facilitation of projects as part of the functions of the lawmakers, so that they will concentrate on making laws and performing oversight functions.
Speaking on the performance of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), during the last governorship and House of Assembly elections in Oyo State, Balogun said the party needs to put it house in order.
“We have to put our house in order, forget the past and move on. People should come together and rebuild the party unconditionally so that the party
The lawmaker representing Oyo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Sen Kola Balogun has put an end to the controversy over who actually facilitated the coming of Air Peace to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
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While featuring on ‘South West Political Circuit,’ a programme on Ibadan-based radio station, Fresh 105.9FM on Saturday, Balogun narrated how he met the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema on a flight to Dubai.
He said: At a point, Overland was monopolising Ibadan-Abuja route and he was raising the fare at will. I was worried about that. I flew on the maiden flight of Air Peace to Dubai, I met Chief Onyema on that flight. So, we became friends and he also invited me to join the airport reception at Dubai. Nigeria’s Ambassador to UAE and his team were also there. That’s how I met and got to know him.”
The lawmaker stated that when he was worried about how to break the monopoly of Overland, which has been operating in Ibadan for years, he called Onyema.
“I said do you know I am from Ibadan, he said, yes I know. He told me that he has an emotional attachment to Ibadan. I said how? He said ‘I went to UI.’ I said good, give us an aircraft to come and ply Ibadan-Abuja, there is traffic here. He said no problem. He said do you know something, the biggest and the best guest house in UI, he is the one building it for them. I said you are a son of the soil afterall, he said yes he is a son of the soil. He said most of his aircraft have been sent overseas for routine maintainance, that once they come back, he will give us one.
“To cut the long story short, I kept on harassing him until the day he was ready to give us. If you noticed, I flew on that maiden flight from Abuja. i was invited, I was on that maiden flight to Ibadan. Then at the airport, the governor was there, the late Olubadan was also there. He also said it publicly that Dr Kola Balogun is the one that has been harassing me and I thought we should do it. Air Peace came to Ibadan because I encouraged Air Peace to come to Ibadan,” Balogun added.
The senator, who reeled out his achievements, also gave the 9th National Assembly a pass mark, especially in the area of budget passage and working with the executive arm of government.
He, however, added that he wished the incoming 10th National Assembly will make a law that will remove facilitation of projects as part of the functions of the lawmakers, so that they will concentrate on making laws and performing oversight functions.
Speaking on the performance of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), during the last governorship and House of Assembly elections in Oyo State, Balogun said the party needs to put it house in order.
“We have to put our house in order, forget the past and move on. People should come together and rebuild the party unconditionally so that the party will
The lawmaker representing Oyo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Sen Kola Balogun has put an end to the controversy over who actually facilitated the coming of Air Peace to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
RelatedPosts
While featuring on ‘South West Political Circuit,’ a programme on Ibadan-based radio station, Fresh 105.9FM on Saturday, Balogun narrated how he met the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema on a flight to Dubai.
He said: At a point, Overland was monopolising Ibadan-Abuja route and he was raising the fare at will. I was worried about that. I flew on the maiden flight of Air Peace to Dubai, I met Chief Onyema on that flight. So, we became friends and he also invited me to join the airport reception at Dubai. Nigeria’s Ambassador to UAE and his team were also there. That’s how I met and got to know him.”
The lawmaker stated that when he was worried about how to break the monopoly of Overland, which has been operating in Ibadan for years, he called Onyema.
“I said do you know I am from Ibadan, he said, yes I know. He told me that he has an emotional attachment to Ibadan. I said how? He said ‘I went to UI.’ I said good, give us an aircraft to come and ply Ibadan-Abuja, there is traffic here. He said no problem. He said do you know something, the biggest and the best guest house in UI, he is the one building it for them. I said you are a son of the soil afterall, he said yes he is a son of the soil. He said most of his aircraft have been sent overseas for routine maintainance, that once they come back, he will give us one.
“To cut the long story short, I kept on harassing him until the day he was ready to give us. If you noticed, I flew on that maiden flight from Abuja. i was invited, I was on that maiden flight to Ibadan. Then at the airport, the governor was there, the late Olubadan was also there. He also said it publicly that Dr Kola Balogun is the one that has been harassing me and I thought we should do it. Air Peace came to Ibadan because I encouraged Air Peace to come to Ibadan,” Balogun added.
The senator, who reeled out his achievements, also gave the 9th National Assembly a pass mark, especially in the area of budget passage and working with the executive arm of government.
He, however, added that he wished the incoming 10th National Assembly will make a law that will remove facilitation of projects as part of the functions of the lawmakers, so that they will concentrate on making laws and performing oversight functions.
Speaking on the performance of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), during the last governorship and House of Assembly elections in Oyo State, Balogun said the party needs to put it house in order.
“We have to put our house in order, forget the past and move on. People should come together and rebuild the party unconditionally so that the party will continue to be relevant in Oyo State,” he said.
Source: Newspeakonline