•Want Caverton Helicopters prosecuted
•Summon Okonjo-Iweala, Sanusi over naira’s depreciation
By Rotimi Akinwumi/Abuja
Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State
House of Representatives has adopted the report of its joint Committee on Justice and Aviation which cleared Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, of any infraction in the operations of the state owned Bombadier B700 Global Express jet.
The report which was considered at the committee of the whole on Wednesday not only exonerated the Governor of any wrong do ing, it went further to indict the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for illegally grounding the aircraft.
The joint committees had been given the task to investigate the circumstances surrounding the controversial grounding by NCAA of Rivers State Government owned Bombadier B700 Global Express aircraft last April.
Chairman of the joint committee, Ali Ahmad, while briefing the Committee of Whole House presided over by Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, explained that the allegations on the basis of which the NCAA grounded the aircraft were false.
According to the report, the allegation that the aircraft was operated without registration was false, as the committee found out that the plane was registered in the U.S.
He said the committee also found out that over 70 per cent of private jets in the country were registered abroad.
The House after a clause-by-clause consideration accepted the recommendations that the Attorney General and Minister for Justice should institute a legal action against Caverton Helicopters for misleading the NCAA to illegally ground the aircraft.
"For providing information that led the authorities to wrongly believe that Rivers State Government falsified documents thereby leading to grounding of its aircraft, the Hon. Attorney General is requested to consider prosecuting Caverton Helicopters under the provisions of Section 36 (4) Civil Aviation Act. C13, 2004," the report said.
The House also resolved that "the Rivers State Government should be allowed to comply with the necessary conditions for granting of all required permits and licences of Rivers State owned Bombadier B700 Global Express Registration Number N565Rs."
It also urged the Ministry of Aviation to desist from undue interference in the day-to-day operations of the aviation regulatory authorities as envisaged by the law.
Similarly, it urged the aviation regulatory authorities to operate professionally and ensure compliance with international best practices in the industry.
It will be recalled that the Rivers State owned jet was grounded in April by the NCAA.
A statement ny the NCAA justifying the grounding of the aircraft then had said: "By our records, the last flight clearance for this aircraft was approved for operation on Thursday, March 28, 2013 on Accra—PH–Accra and to terminate on April 2, 2013. With this development, the aircraft has exceeded the extra two days or 48 hours leeway for it to leave the country.
"While still operating illegally, the aircraft has been sighted in several places, including Owerri and Akure. The owner of this aircraft according to the Certificate of Registration is Bank of Utah Trustee of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
"The clearance for the aircraft was sought by Caverton Helicopters on March 27, 2013. Consequently, this aircraft in reference is hereby grounded at any airport that it is located right now in the country."
And when the issue came up for investigations in the House of Representatives, Caverton Helicopters denied ever having anything to do with the purchase, registration and maintenance of the aircraft, a claim the committee later found to be untrue.
The House also at plenary on Wednesday expressed worries over the continued nose-diving of the value of the naira.
It has, therefore, summoned the duo of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and Coordinating Minister for the Cconomy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to brief it on the reasons behind the trend.
The invitation to the duo followed adoption of a motion sponsored by Odebunmi Olusegun Dokun to draw attention to the trend.
In the motion entitled, 'Need to check the continuous devaluation of the naira', the lawmaker lamented the depreciation of the naira over time, observing that the nation's economy in the future would be in serious danger.
"There has been a continuous decrease in the naira value over the years against major currencies in the world.
"A critical look at these last few years, taking the U.S. dollar as a basis for comparison shows that around 1990 to 1993, it was about N28 to a dollar; around 1994 to 1996, it was about N40 to a dollar; around 1996 to 1999, it was about N80 to a dollar; around 1999 to 2007, it was about N140 to a dollar; and around 2007 to date, it is about N158 to a dollar.
"This has shown that a continuous devaluation in naira without any improvement, and if this downward trend persists, it will affect Nigeria's economy and the future of the nation in general," he said.
When the issue was put to vote by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, who presided over the plenary without taking debates from members, it was unanimously adopted by the members.
The issue was thereafter referred to the joint committees on Finance, Banking and Currency, and National Planning and Economic Development to undertake the assignment and report back to the House within six weeks.
