A socio-political organisation, under the aegis of Igbo Centre for Education and Cultural Advancement, on Friday said the Federal Government had changed the negative narrative of the South-East about the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), following the resolution of the air transport impasse with the United Arab Emirates through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

The organisation said that in a country in which the government had repeatedly failed the people, the act of defending individual business to promote the national economy should be applauded.

The Secretary-General of IGBOCECA, Abel Onyemaechi, made these known during a press briefing in Abuja.

According to him, stakeholders of the Igbo nation should support the Buhari regime for the decisive intervention it took over the Air Peace diplomatic face-off with the UAE.

Onyemaechi said, “In the last couple of weeks, we have witnessed the diplomatic brick-bat between the Nigerian government and the United Arab Emirates over landing slots for Air Peace, an airline owned by a businessman from the South-East.

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He said, “Air Peace had sought three landing spaces for the Airport in Sharjah, UAE, but was denied the request and offered one slot. In response to the UAE government’s refusal, the Nigerian government withdrew the earlier winter schedule granted to Emirates Airline through the NCAA.

“Expectedly, the UAE government, through the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, in protest of the Nigerian government directive, cancelled its flights’ operation to Nigeria and also stopped other airlines from airlifting Nigerians to Dubai. The UAE government had thought that the Nigerian government would have buckled under pressure and rescinded their decision.”

“More importantly, as an Igbo man, we now see a government willing to go to any extent to protect a fellow Igbo man. Unlike in the past when our businessmen and women are made to feel like orphans, the events of the past few weeks have shown that we have a government that cares and is willing to stand by its people,” he added.