The Federal Government on Monday disclosed that it has engaged in dialogue with Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike to release Caverton Helicopters pilots.
There was verbal war of words between the Federal Government and Rivers State governor immediately the pilots were arrested by the police for flouting the State Government’s lockdown directive. The pilots flew expatriates into the Air Force Base in Port Harcourt following the ban as part of measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in Rivers.
At Monday’s daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Engineer Hassan Musa said there was a need to fast track their release considering threats by various unions in the aviation sector to embark on strike.
Hassan said: “Federal government is in consultation with the Rivers state government to have them released as soon as possible because their arrest is taking a different dimension as Air Traffic Union and other unions in the aviation sector are threatening to go on strike.
“We hope that this misunderstanding will soon be resolved so that we can have them out as their operation was legal.”
