The Federal Government on Wednesday said that Caverton Helicopters was granted the flight permit to fly into Port Harcourt, Rivers state as it is the exclusive right of the FG to do so in such circumstance.
This is coming hours after a group of aviation stakeholders under the aegis of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ART) also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the two Caverton Helicopters pilots being tried in court by the Rivers State Government.
The ART also demanded withdrawal of the charges preferred against the duo of Capts Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari without further delay.
Daily Trust reports that the Rivers State Government had charged the pilots to court for contravening the restriction in place to contain the coronavirus pandemic in the state. Passengers on the helicopters were also charged to court.
But speaking on Wednesday at the eighth joint national briefing of the Presidential Taskforce Force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, faulted the pilots’ arrest.
According to him, civil aviation is on the Exclusive List item number three, “so no other person but the federal government has authority to legislate on such.”
Sirika added: “So also is the Nigerian Airforce, Armed Forces are also on Exclusive List, there is no other person that has the legal rights to legislate upon it. So the air force officer who jumped the Commander-in-Chief and ignored, also jumped the Chief of Defense Staff and ignored, who jumped the Chief of Air Staff and ignored, to call a governor to come into the property of the Federal Government of Nigeria to make an arrest, exhibited dangerous ignorance and incompetence grossly.
“So, the police that followed the governor to go in there exhibited dangerous ignorance from our perspective in civil aviation. Whether we have approval for the flight, yes we did and we did in national interest. All of these flights are for the purposes of improving the national revenue to which Rivers State is the greatest beneficiary.”
He added that the flights by Caverton, Aero Contractor, Arik, Bristol and others were for national interest and improved national revenue, especially at a time where oil has gone below $30 per barrel and the cost of production is $30.
“In the wisdom of President Muhammadu Buhari he thought that this be allowed so that the nation will not be crippled and national revenue will not be lost.
“It was against the background that we have the authority and being exclusively on the exclusive list and we have the powers in civil aviation, guided by the Civil Aviation Act 2016 to approve such flights.
“Those flights were approved lawfully, legally and correct. So, we will do everything lawful and legal and reasonable to get those pilots back and operations will continue in national interest,” Sirika said.
Meanwhile, a statement by the ART further said, “While we noted and acknowledge the deadly nature of the coronavirus currently ravaging the global community and the need for all hands to be on deck in the fight to contain its spread, we condemn in totality, the flagrant disregard for the authorisation, approvals including exemption granted Caverton Helicopters and other operators of essential services by the Federal Ministry of Aviation and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.”
“These reckless actions are capable of leading to a situation of anarchy which the nation cannot afford at these challenging times.”
