In the heart of the Southeast, amid applause, propellers, and pride, the runway at Akanu Ibiam International Airport bore witness to more than the takeoff of a plane, it marked the birth of a dream, decades in the making.
On Monday, Enugu Air officially took to the skies. But its story began long before the ribbon-cutting, inside boardrooms, across tarmacs, and through countless shuttles between Enugu and Abuja.
At the center of it all: Governor Peter Mbah, a man determined to turn his state into Nigeria’s next aviation hub.
From the moment he took office, Mbah had made one thing clear, business as usual wouldn’t cut it. Even before Mr. Festus Keyamo, minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, could settle into his new role, the governor was already knocking.
“He was relentless,” Keyamo recalled during the grand launch. “Every week, he was in Abuja, pushing, pressing, determined. At one point, I asked, ‘Do you want Enugu to explode with progress?’”
Mbah’s unyielding pursuit paid off. With three Embraer jets, Enugu Air now connects the state to Lagos, Abuja, and soon, Port Harcourt, Kano, Owerri, Benin, and other major cities. And this is only phase one. Phase two? Africa. China. Europe. The U.S.
In Mbah’s own words:
“We are not stopping.”
Keyamo, who cut the ribbon beside the governor, didn’t mince words.
“Dr. Peter Mbah is an incredible, performing governor,” he said. “Though he’s PDP and I’m APC, we must speak the truth. If he continues like this, he’ll be very difficult to defeat in 2027. We’re already afraid.”
But the fanfare wasn’t just about politics, it was about purpose. For Governor Mbah, Enugu Air is a symbol of more than state pride.
It is a tool for development, job creation, connectivity, and investment.
“This airline isn’t just about flying,” he said. “It’s about opening Enugu to the world, creating faster, more reliable access to markets, clients, and capital. It’s a gateway to opportunity.”
The airline will be run by XEJet, a fully Nigerian-owned aviation company that already manages the national carrier for Sierra Leone. Their partnership, praised by the Minister as “a model for the Renewed Hope Agenda,” represents what Mbah calls “private-sector energy for public good.”
Beyond the airline, Mbah has plans for the airport itself. Even before Enugu Air took off, he approached the federal government about involving private investment in the management of Akanu Ibiam International Airport.
“He wasn’t content to wait for bureaucracy,” Keyamo said. “He wants Enugu’s airport to match global standards, and he’s making it happen.”
The event drew a wave of dignitaries, stakeholders, and citizens, each drawn by the rare blend of vision and velocity that has become the Mbah signature.
Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, MD of Fidelity Bank, and Engr. Ayuba Emmanuel, CEO of XEJet, called the governor “a courageous, visionary leader,” pledging their continued support.
In a final flourish, the skies above Enugu filled with the roar of engines and the cheers of hopeful citizens. For many, it was a spectacle. For the governor, it was the start of something far more enduring.
“This is not the end,” Mbah said with a confident smile. “This is just the takeoff.”
