UNA: Heritage, ambition and next phase of growth

By Dickson Omobola

Nigeria’s aviation space was enriched June 18, 2026, when dignitaries converged on Nesto Aviation Services, NESTAV, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, to join Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, UNA, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, for the official unveiling of two newly acquired Boeing 737-800NG aircraft.

Fittingly, the planes were named after Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, and literary giant, the late Professor Chinua Achebe.

So, it was hardly a surprise when the revered monarch, regally dressed in his traditional red cap and flowing white robes, arrived at about 11:28 am.

At that moment, two things came to this reporter’s mind: the words of American historian, Henry Glassie, who said: “History is not the past but a map of the past, drawn from a particular point of view, to be useful to the modern traveller.”