L-R: Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Senator Chris Ngige and Chief Emeka Anyaoku, during the funeral service for literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe in Ogidi, Anambra State, yesterday.

The House of Representatives yesterday exonerated Governor Chibuike Amaechi on issues surrounding the controversial grounding of Rivers State Government’s Bombardier B700 Global Express .
The lower Chamber rather  indicted the Ministry of Aviation and Caverton Helicopters on the way and manner they treated the state government.
This forms part of the House’s resolutions following the recommendations of a report by the House Joint Committee on Justice and Aviation set up to investigate the justification and circumstances surrounding the controversial grounding of Rivers State Government’s Bombardier B700 Global Express”.
Presenting the report of the committee at the plenary, Chairman of the Committee, Ali Ahmed, said that the Federal Government’s allegation that the state government falsified permits used in operating its aircraft was a deliberate falsehood that could not be substantiated, and reinforces the state’s claim that it was a victim of federal “witch-hunting”.
Rep Ahmed in the report further explained that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) deliberately refused to acknowledge Rivers State’s ownership of the aircraft, and might have indeed pressured aviation agent, Caverton Helicopters, to deny having a business relationship with Rivers State.
During the investigation, the acting Director General of NCAA, Joyce Nkemakolam, hinted that both Caverton Helicopters and ACASS denied having any dealing in Governor Amaechi’s flight clearance application.
His words, “following the detention, NCAA invited Caverton Helicopters, the agent for the aircraft to a meeting on 29th April, 2013. Caverton Helicopters, in its letter dated 26th April, 2013 and received by the authority on the 29th April, 2013 denied any dealings in the flight clearance application for the aircraft. I also want to state here that ACASS also denied any dealings with the aircraft,”
The report noted that it was clear that Caverton wilfully misled the authorities by denying it acted on behalf of Rivers State, and recommended that officials of the company be prosecuted.
The lawmakers during the investigation ordered that the list of all private jets and owners and documentations be submitted by the ministry to enable the committees examine whether the Rivers State treatment was any different, particularly as it regards ownership and expiration of the licence of the aircraft.
The report emphasised that the ministry and its departments blatantly refused to send in the required materials even after affirming that they shall turn in the documents.
By these revelations, the House resolved that the Federal Government’s allegation that the state operated the aircraft on an expired permit remained unfounded.
“This attitude may be interpreted as an attempt to hide the suspected fact that many aircraft are being operated with expired permits or licences,” the committee noted.
It would be recalled that on Friday, April 26,the aircraft   conveying the Governor and his entourage was grounded for about two hours (between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.) at the Akure Airport, Ondo State for alleged violation of aviation procedures.