Adopting the Machiavellian principle of the end justifies the means which has since been localised by our own Gen Ibrahim Babangida (MARADONA) to mean every man has a price, the Nigerian politician seems to want to gain political mileage out of every incident no matter if he is right/wrong or if people live or die.
The above scenario is playing itself out in the political journey of the Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi . We will for now be concerned with his journey to Akure in a state government aircraft and the dust raised on his return journey, an event we would want to refer to as the “Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi Saga”.
The “Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi saga”. It should have been a simple matter, if communication between all parties was open and honest. After all these kind of issues are governed by procedures and due process. Were they followed or breached?
The Story as told by certain sections of the media goes thus: “The private jet belonging to the Rivers State governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was not allowed to take off at the Akure international airport.
The governor who attended the funeral service of the deputy governor of Ekiti state Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka, landed at Akure airport around 4pm and then moved on to Ekiti state for the funeral.
On his return he was delayed for one hour before he was eventually cleared by Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, NAMA” Read Full report here.
Another report states: “The Special Adviser to the Minister of Aviation on Media, Mr. Joe Obi, who spoke with our correspondent last night, said: “The Rivers State aircraft was not grounded at the airport in Akure as being insinuated. What happened was not supposed to be an issue at all.
“As part of new aviation regulations, any aircraft taking off is supposed to make its manifest available to the aviation authorities for the purpose of record keeping.
“We have had incidents in the past where it was difficult to know the people on board a particular aircraft. The rule now is that you must present the manifest before you take off, whether it is a private or commercial aircraft.
“So, in Akure, they demanded for the manifest of the aircraft carrying Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and in the typical Nigerian system or attitude, they started asking why they must make the manifest available.
“At the time this thing happened, they had not even asked for start up. That is, they had not got in touch with the Control Tower for take- off.
“When the manifest was produced, the aircraft was cleared accordingly. We could not have delayed or grounded the aircraft, having noticed that there is no heavy lighting at Akure Airport for night traffic.
“We did not have issues. It was just normal operational procedure.” Read Full report here.
The important point to note here is that the governor’s aircraft did not leave at the time he signaled his preparedness to depart Akure through the airport. So, what went wrong?
This can only be answered by asking some questions.
1) The aircraft involved is managed by staff ‘both flying and ground staff’ who are supposed to be conversant with the current rules guiding the aviation industry. If we are to believe their claim, all the rules were compiled with hence they were given permission to land. If so fine. Did these same staff also take into cognisance the conditions that must be met before take off and did they meet them? Do they have duplicate copies showing time of submission of documentation.
2) At what time was the request for the manifest made, to whom and by whom?
3) If truly provision for night flights is not available at the Akure airport, how did the governors flight depart at 8pm? Is there a breach of any other safety regulation.
4) Was the speaker of the National Assembly Aminu Tambuwal truly at that Airport and did he intervene in the matter under discourse? If he did, was it an intervention on the side of a ‘manifest must be produced’ or that the ‘aircraft was unjustifiably grounded’?
5) Would it not have been better for the governor to immediately issue an official statement on what transpired at the airport so as douse tension and speculation.
6) Is the governor trying to present himself as a persecuted lamb for whatever reason or purpose?
7) Considering the gravity of the dent on the image of the country and the security implication for the nation should this incident be allowed to fly away in the sky as a non-issue or be properly investigated and the truth unearthed for Nigerians to know with whom honour lies. With the government(FAAN) or the governor(vice-presidential candidate in-waiting)?
When will the line between politics and governance be drawn in the fight for the jewel in the crown of power in the Nigerian political space? source http://www.sayit247.com/2013/04/chibuike-rotimi-amaechi-grounded-plane-saga-matters-arising/| Posted: at | |
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