CORONAVIRUS: ARRESTS OF TWO PILOTS IN PORT HARCOURT, GOVERNOR WIKE'S ACTION CONDENMED

GOVERNOR NYESOM WIKE

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika faulted the arrest and arraignment of Caverton Helicopter pilots by the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike.

“Civil aviation is on the exclusive list, item number three. So no other person but the Federal Government has authority to legislate upon it. So also the armed forces are on the exclusive list, there is no other person that has the legal rights to legislate upon them,” he said.

According to him, the police that followed the governor to arrest the pilots exhibited dangerous ignorance from the nation’s perspective in civil aviation. He said the flights in question were operated with the approval of the Federal Government in the national interest.

“All of these flights are for the purposes of improving the national revenue of which Rivers State is the greatest beneficiary. So those flights by Caverton, Aero Contractor, Arik and Bristo were for national interest and improved national revenue.”

MINISTER OF AVIATION HADI SIRIKA

The minister further said: “At a time when oil has gone below $30 per barrel and the cost of production is $30, in the wisdom of President Muhammadu Buhari, this should be allowed so that the nation will not be crippled and national revenue will not be lost.”

Aviation workers and concerned experts alike also kicked over the arrest and detention of the two pilots of Caverton Helicopters on the orders of Wike.

Wike, had ordered the arrest of the two pilots - Samuel Urgoji and Samuel Buhari – in Port Harcourt over alleged violation of the stay-at-home directive. The duo have been remanded in prison custody for flying expatriates into the state.

Urgoji and Buhari were arraigned in a chief magistrates’ court on four-count charge, which bordered on disobeying the executive order issued by the governor aimed at checking the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

The umbrella body for all pilots and aircraft engineers, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), condemned the arrest, saying the aviators fell under the category of essential workers since their flight was authorised.

The President of NAAPE, Galadima Abednego, said they deemed the actions of Rivers State government as an unwarranted attack on their members.

Abednego said they were left with no other option than to demand the immediate release of the pilots and an apology from the governor or NAAPE would direct all pilots, both local and international, to boycott flying into Rivers State indefinitely

Caverton Helicopters had appealed to Wike to release the pilots, adding that they got approval to operate the flight for which the pilots were apprehended. The Caverton management said they received a letter from their client stating that they had been given the approval to fly and continue operations.