Caverton: Needless Media Affront Against Wike

On April 7, a Port Harcourt Chief Magistrate Court presided over by D.D Ihua-Maduenyi
remanded in prison custody two Pilots, Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari of Caverton Helicopters for violating the Executive Order issued by the Rivers State Government aimed at checking and combating the spread of Coronavirus in the state. Similarly, 10 passengers on board of the ill-fated flight were also remanded for the same offence.
Few days after, Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika accused Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State of sabotaging efforts of the Federal Government in sourcing for funds especially in this COVID-19 era, when, according to him, budgets were crashing as a result of low crude oil price in the international market.
As if that was not enough , the central government through its agencies and proxies sponsored editorial commentaries in some national newspapers, namely, The Guardian, This Day, among others, casting aspersions on Governor Wike for taking actions against Caverton Helicopters’ two Pilots and passengers on board.
In the newspapers’ opinion, the governor acted beyond his powers as, the dailies concluded that issues relating to aviation and mineral resources such as petroleum are within the purview of the Federal Government as enshrined in the Exclusive List of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
While The Tide will not want to join issues with the Minister and by extension, his cronies as represented in the editorials of The Guardian and ThisDay Newspapers of April 10, 2020, on who exercises authority under the Exclusive List of the Constitution, we, however, make bold to categorically state that Governor Wike swore to an oath to always defend the interest and well being of Rivers people, no matter whose ox is gored and without fear or favour.
Governor Wike’s position, of course, is without prejudice to the provisions of the Constitution and was not by any measure intended to slight the Federal Government, rather, he only wanted due process to be followed in the campaign against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Unfortunately, nobody cares to know that Caverton Helicopters and Aero Contractors airline flew into Rivers State over 250 oil workers without health professionals in the State subjecting them to test either during departure or arrival, an action that the people and government of Rivers State perceive as inimical to the good health of the people.
We recall that on April 5, 2020, Governor Wike in a broadcast urged the Federal Government to prevail on Caverton and Aero Contractors to act responsibly by ensuring that their personnel undergo screening and profiling by Rivers State health professionals, an advice that was turned down by the central authorities and the oil firms.
In this COVID-19 era, when all tiers of government, international bodies and stakeholders are expected to synergise and collaborate to contain the spread of the pandemic, the sponsored editorials of these tabloids against the Governor is, to say the least, worrisome, most inappropriate, callous and unacceptable to well-meaning Nigerians.
While The Tide is not ignorant of the constitutional responsibilities of the Federal Government, States and local government councils as explicitly spelt out in the 1999 Constitution, we, however, think that in emergency times like this when all hands should be on deck to ensure safety of lives of the citizenry, the Federal Government’s permission to the airlines, should be in tandem with the position of states especially against the backdrop of the prevailing pandemic ravaging the globe, particularly Nigeria.
The issue of Legislative and Exclusive Lists as enshrined in the Constitution should as a matter of fact be secondary when, infact, lives are at stake.
In other words, monetary gains and benefits should be jettisoned when lives are involved as money is for the living, not for the dead.
The truth remains that at no time did Governor Wike or the state government challenge the permit granted to the airlines to fly in workers on essential services, rather, all the state government needed was to ascertain the COVID-19 status of such workers entering the state as they may in the course of their activities interact or mingle with vulnerable citizens of the state.
We, therefore, condemn the blackmail and cheap publicity against the governor by those who want to de-market the state and its people through sponsored editorials and commentaries.
It is on record that the state government on March 30, 2020 announced waivers for different categories of persons on essential services and we know that oil companies that followed due process were so exempted, except perhaps, when such workers broke protocol and refused to be screened by health officials at the entry points.
In a nutshell, Governor Wike acted in defence of Rivers State and in accordance with the Executive Order 01, 2020 pursuant to Sections 2, 4 and 8 of the Quarantine Act Cap Q2 Laws.
Thus, this needless affront against the person of Governor Wike must stop forthwith.