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Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Government has declared that it is not prepared to compromise on any issue that borders on the protection and safety of Rivers citizens, especially in the present coronavirus crisis.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, briefing journalists in Port Harcourt, said the Rivers government had observed with dismay the “indecent and reckless politicisation of the fight to check the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by agents of the Federal Government, especially as it relates to Rivers State.”
Nsirim alleged a media campaign of calumny against the state government premised on falsehood, on the arrest of two pilots of Caverton Helicopters, aimed at endangering the lives of over 6 million Rivers people.
The commissioner stressed that the arrest of the pilots was not because they operated a permit granted them by the Ministry of Aviation, Hadi Sirika.
“They were arrested because they constantly contravened the Executive Order issued by the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, which requires that everyone coming into the state for essential duties subject themselves to mandatory health checks to ascertain their coronavirus status.
“Before their arrests, the Rivers State Government issued several warnings to Caverton and other operators to ensure that their pilots and passengers are tested by Rivers State Health Authorities. Caverton Helicopters disregarded the warnings.
“At the last count, Caverton Helicopters ferried over 220 passengers into the State without allowing health professionals of the Rivers State Government ascertain their coronavirus status. They also refused to avail the State Government their contacts so they can be traced and tested”, Nsirim noted.
The Information and Communications commissioner stressed that Governor Wike was committed to the protection of citizens of the state.
He clarified: “We are not struggling to issue landing permits to airlines, neither are we contending for the control of the air space. Therefore, the issue on ground has nothing to do with the Exclusive List.
“The focus of the Rivers State Government is to ensure that nobody under the guise of transporting workers on essential services, ferry in persons who will compromise our health system. Therefore, these pilots and passengers must be subjected to health checks before they carry out their responsibilities. That is standard practice.
“The Rivers State Government urges the Federal Government to direct all their business associates to subject themselves to health checks to ascertain their coronavirus status. On this premise, the Rivers State Government is not prepared to compromise,” the commissioner insisted.
