The moment Nigeria recorded its first case of COVID-19 in Lagos through an Italian visitor; Port Harcourt went cold; knowing by all calculations that Rivers State was just one flight away from it.
The Rivers State government led by Nyesom Wike announced control measures in addition to the ones being dished out by federal authorities. While some Nigerians were still pressuring the President to address the nation, Governor Wike did just that.
Wike shocked the state when he announced closure of boundaries. Many knew trouble was brewing and a conflict with the centre was a matter of time. All of those highways being locked were federal roads.
Many travellers got trapped both on the East-West Road which is gulping N746billion to rebuild since the Goodluck Jonathan days (with another N150billion earmarked) and the Oyigbo end of the Port Harcourt-Enugu Expressway. Some cried out for help, saying they had spent up to seven days at the boundary points.
Many, who were interviewed, said they were travelling from as far as Kano State and did not know there was local ban in Rivers State.
When the FG announced its own nationwide shutdown along with curfew in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, it gave exemptions. Now, many wondered which rule would prevail, the conditions given by the FG or the orders given by Rivers State government.
The highpoint was that Wike declared curfew in parts of Port Harcourt while the FG declared it in three states. Whereas no persons were arrested and prosecuted at that point, over 200 had been clamped into detention and taken to court where a plea of ‘guilty’ fetched N10,000 fine and exit while not ‘guilty’ attracted N100,000 bail.
One order that showed red flag was the order that when flight arrives to Port Harcourt, the passengers would not be allowed into the state. The governor said he knew he had no power to stop flights into the state but that he had right to stop the passengers from moving into the state.
Many wondered how a passenger would get to the airport but would not go home or to his destination. It was not clear how the law would be implemented. Reporters at the airport said the order was being implemented but they could not explain what happened to the passengers. The governor said he expected the federal agencies to understand and cooperate but it was not clear how the cooperating would apply; to stop flights into Rivers State or to keep them at the airport.
The next red flag was the governor’s second broadcast where he revealed that some multinational corporations had made passionate appeals for exemptions to enable them sustain oil operations but he had said no. Alarm! If you say such ‘No’ to oil companies, how would they sustain oil operations?
Soon after, the FG ordered that oil operations should continue and essential operations must continue. There was no such order from the state. It was however, gathered that some administrative measures were taken and some exemptions including the press were given, but it was clear that conflict would soon arise.
N10bn red flag
The next twist was the announcement by the FG that N15billion was set aside to support the fight, and that N10billion would go to Lagos. Governor Wike immediately made a broadcast where he accused the FG of politicising the war against the virus. He said the money comes from Rivers State (3rd highest oil producing state after Delta and Akwa Ibom) but that the money was sent to Lagos.
Many commentators countered that Lagos was fighting the battle for the entire nation and that the FG was waging the war in Lagos for the rest of the country. Others point at the various actions already taken by Lagos to contain the virus which must have swallowed several billions; isolation centres, treatment centres, restriction of movements, support to the vulnerable, several stop-and-check points, several tracers, thousands of volunteers working with numerous equipment, and massive awareness campaigns being the first point of entry.
Wike floated his own bank accounts for companies to begin to donate but for over one week, only one company came forward with noodles at a time the Lagos donation had climbed to N15billion. It had to take the Rivers House of Assembly members and later the commissioners to announce donation of one month salaries.
The governor said in one of his broadcasts that the FG was not helping the state at all. A son of the soil who works in the presidency as a special adviser, said it was untrue, that the Federal Government and allies were building a 250-bed treatment centre in Port Harcourt. A governor’s aide countered, saying for the governor to be inspecting it, it cannot be a FG’s project. He asked newsmen to count their tongues with their teeth. Newsmen are still counting.
Anger and possible frustrations grew in the state. The Organised Private Sector (OPS) in the state led by PHCCIMA’s president, Nabil Saleh, stepped in and pulled donations and distributed through Rivled Foundation in the 23 local council areas of the state.
The governor began to tone down and began to announce plans to roll out palliatives such as food centres, passage of essential goods, half open markets, and handouts. The masses began to commend him.
Then, the Carveton saga! The governor swiftly drove with a convoy to the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) Base behind Bori Camp on G.U. Ake Road. There, he stormed the Carveton Helicopters Company and demanded for the pilots and passengers of his flight to be brought out. In fact, he demanded for the manifest.
Later, the world learnt that the pilot and his co-pilot (Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari), were arrested. The police owned up to the arrest even as some sources insisted it was the task force that arrested them.
The task force: The governor had at the onset set up a Committee on COVID-19 and made the Commissioner of Information and Communications, Paulinus Msirim, the chairman. The task was mostly awareness creation and mobilisation for vigilance. When the first case was announced, the governor announced a higher-powered committee made up mostly of the heads of the security agencies in the state and he heads it.
This can explain the said arrest of the pilots by the commander of the Air Force. He is a member of the task force. What seems to spin the eye is the speed of prosecution after arrest. It could only happen in New York. Next, 10 passengers were fished out and same day, they appeared before a magistrate and same day remanded in prison custody.
The next day, the entire Carveton was ‘arrested’ when the company was shut down in the state. The company reacted in Lagos, saying they had all the permits but that seemed to infuriate the governor. He simply shut them down.
Who is Carveton to Rivers State government matters? A Rivers retiree who worked all his career years in the Government House, Blessing Nwikina, tried Thursday to provide insight. He posted on journalists’ platform that Carveton was not new to Rivers issues. The company was also involved in a part of the Amaechi vs Wike/Jonathan wars few years ago when Jonathan and Wike were at the federal level.
Then governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi had bought some jets for the state and during the conflict with Goodluck Jonathan, the jet was grounded ahead of the Governors’ Forum elections on grounds of illegal purchase. Amaechi said jet was properly acquired with documentation from Carveton. This seemed to sway public sympathy to Amaechi. The National Assembly stepped in to save Amaechi through a hearing.
Nwikina recalled Thursday, April 9, 2020, that Stella Odua was minister of Aviation, and that Carveton strangely appeared before the Parliament and denied being part of the acquisition and said their letterhead was forged. Nwikina said years later, the company was to go begging the people they may have offended.
Many now say maybe the begging and confessions may have rankled the nerves of the Jonathan camp and may have made Carveton a persona non grata all this while. Could the company have stepped on a wire this time?
Carveton serves top oil companies and is trusted to ferry them to places. One of the oil majors granted them a loan few years back to upgrade and serve better. It was gathered that it is such oil company workers that had overstayed to over 28 days instead of 14 offshore that Carveton was bringing back to Port Harcourt. It is also believed the flight was to take their replacement back, but got enmeshed in the crisis.
The hammer on the company and the ripple effects in the industry has set tongues wagging and new ideas popping up. The governor said he is not against the business community but out to save the lives of his people.
The truth is, in a fight between the Rivers State government and federal authorities, the oil companies and their service providers will suffer. The governor has insisted that there are enemies and opposition members plotting to spread the virus in Rivers State. Many scream, but some take it with circumspect.
Whatever, there is panic in the oil industry top players. What happens in the coming days would tell more on the nerves of the industry players.
Ignatius Chukwu
