NIGERIA’S ambassador to Togo, Adebowale Adesina, has lauded the country’s effort to lead other West African countries and the continent in general in achieving seamless connectivity and movement of goods and humans through air transport with the commencement of flights between Nigeria and Lome, Togo by Air Peace.
Air Peace, on July 28, operated its maiden flight from Lagos to Lomé Tokoin International Airport (LFW) with its Embraer E195 to the excitement of Togolese citizens led by the country’s minister of transport, Honourable Atcha Affoh, who received the Air Peace flight team.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Adesina described the coming of Air Peace as a dream come true and cited the several efforts made by the government of both countries with Air Peace to ensure the two nations and their citizens enjoy free movements.
Adesina, who described the commencement of operations by Air Peace into the Francophone African country as part of the efforts of President Bola Tinubu as the ECOWAS Chairman to foster good relationships amongst the African countries, said the decision of Air Peace to expand to Lome is a good one in view of the strategic position of the country.
Adesina said, “With Air Peace, I think we are getting there little by little. A large number of Nigerians work and live here, some of the good and progressive points about Africa are held here, so you couldn’t have made a better choice. Togo and Nigeria are brothers who co-founded ECOWAS. They go together on the international scene and have done more than others to sell the development of others.
“It is most gratifying that this is happening just as President Bola Tinubu is leading the charge to make ECOWAS the best regional organisation, a potent tool for the peace, progress and prosperity of our region
“It is not just the success of Air Peace but also in fostering the relationship between Nigeria and Togo. I commend Togo for maintaining the relationship. Opportunities will come. We will make sure there is prosperity between the two countries. There is nothing wrong with us in Africa that we cannot surmount and win for our people.”
For the Safety Manager of Air Peace, Captain Godfrey Ogbogu, the commencement of operations to Togo by Air Peace made it the eight regional routes the airline is operating to in its years of operation.
According to him, the coming of Air Peace airline into the country will not only further solidify the existing relationships between the countries but will engender stronger socioeconomic ties through the availability of air transport.
Ogbogu, who believed that the expansion of operations to Lome by the Nigerian carrier has given credence to existing ties, added that the development will foster commercial cooperation as well as deepen bilateral ties between both countries.
He said, “Nigerians come to Togo for business and other purposes and the launch of this connectivity adds fillip to this economic exchange between both countries and also advances development. We are reputed for our no-city-left-behind initiative and this is not just for domestic operations. Our no-city-left-behind drive extends to the West Coast as we are poised to continually interconnect key cities in the sub-region, making it easy for Africans to maximise the payoffs of air travel for the collective development of all the nations.”
Ogbogu used the opportunity to hint as the ongoing efforts by Air Peace to expand its operations to Cotonou in Benin Republic, Abidjan in Cote d’ivoire, Congo Kinshasa and Malabo in Equatorial Guinea before the end of the year.
The Safety Manager noted the airline’s determination to continue to upgrade its fleet as an international airline. He said, “We are also modernising and increasing our fleet, especially with the brand new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft, to continue to give our customers a matchless experience on board, whether domestic, regional or international.
“We currently boast of 20 domestic routes, eight regional and five international destinations, including Israel, India and China. Also planned for launch in the future are Houston, USA and London. We are constantly reviewing our route network in line with the travel needs of the flying public.”
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