•Rivers governor says he has fight in his blood •Arrests, detains 22 oil company’s workers, drags them to isolation centre
•Says Carveton Helicopters has apologised
Shola O’NIEL, Mike ODIEGWU and Rosemary NWISI, Port Harcourt
RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday drew the battle line with the federal government and ExxonMobil Nigeria following his government’s decision to arrest and detain 22 employees of the company for violating his Executive Order on the containment of the Coronavirus pandemic in the state.
The employees of the oil exploration company were said to have been arrested for coming into the state from neighbouring Akwa Ibom State in violation of the Executive Order restricting movement into the state.
Wike accused the federal government of working dangerously to compromise the health protection system in the state and make the people vulnerable to coronavirus.
In a live broadcast in Port Harcourt said Carveton Helicopters, whose pilots and passengers were earlier granted bail by a Magistrate Court after they were arrested for the same offence, had apologised to the state government.
Wike, who carpeted the federal government for not supporting his administration’s fight against COVID-19, vowed to pursue the case of the ExxonMobil employees to a logical conclusion, insisting that he would subject them to the same law used against the Carveton Helicopters’ employees.
He taunted the aviation associations who threatened that there would be no-flight operations in Rivers State, describing their threat as empty.
He said: “They don’t even know the state they are threatening. Do we look like those you threaten and they chicken out? No.
“Fight has been in our blood. If we don’t fight, we don’t even survive. So, we like to fight. Those who are threatening us are helping us.
“Our great grandfather fought before Rivers State was created. When you say you go on strike, I am praying for strike. God will help me.
“If you say pilots should not fly, what’s my business? Are you flying me? I don’t travel. I will stay here.”
Explaining the ExxonMobil issue, he said: “Security agencies arrested 22 staff of Exxon Mobil who came into the state from neighbouring Akwa Ibom State in violation of the extant Executive Order restricting movement into the state.
“We do not know the coronavirus status of these individuals.
“Even though security agencies advised that they be allowed to go back to Akwa Ibom State, I insisted that the law must take its course. This is because nobody is above the law.
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“As a responsive government, we have quarantined them in line with the relevant health protocols, and they will be charged to court.”
It was gathered that the oil workers were arrested and sent to the state’s isolation centre by the Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Dandaura and other service chiefs on Thursday while on tour of the state border to ascertain the level of compliance with Wike’s directive.
They were reportedly apprehended on a white coaster bus at the border between Rivers and Akwa Ibom State.
He said although the state lacked the powers to determine flight operations, it possessed the right to stop passengers and pilots from entering into Rivers territory.
He said: “Some people want the escalation of the virus in Rivers State. People were paid to canvass a negative narrative on Carveton Pilots.
“We are doing what we can within available resources to fight coronavirus. You can fly, but as you fly and land, don’t enter our territory.
“We will fight this matter legally.
“Exxon Mobil does not operate in Rivers State. That they have a point at the Onne seaport does not mean that they operate in Rivers State.
“People in Abuja are not happy. They want Rivers State to be infected. They want to kill Rivers people and I will not allow it. I was elected to protect Rivers people. Rivers State is not a pariah state.
“Nigerians shake when they hear oil companies. They shake because they have compromised.
“Imagine an appointed minister issuing an order to an elected governor. They wanted to rig us out and lost.
“Recall that the former DG of DSS ordered his men to leave the INEC Collation Centre for the invasion of the centre. They lost.
“The right must be done. We are talking about something that is killing people.
“They want coronavirus to escalate in Rivers State. The law must be tested. Make sacrifice and let us contain the virus.
“Nobody will use Rivers State as a toy.
“This Federal Government does not like us, but a government will come that likes Rivers State.”
Wike confirmed that the index and second cases of COVID-19 in Rivers State had been discharged, attributing the development to God’s blessings for the state.
“Even though we have recorded two cases, the index case has been discharged while the second case is doing well at the Treatment Centre.
“It is obvious that our containment strategies: closure of borders, closure of schools, closure of markets, closure of night clubs, closure of cinemas as well as the ban of public worship, ban of public burials and weddings have helped to check the spread of coronavirus.
“This is in addition to the conduct of our healthcare professionals who have demonstrated a high level of patriotism and sacrifice in contact tracing and case management.
“People selling akara are being charged to Court in Lagos, but they want us to allow oil companies to flout the law.
“I am a boy to Rivers people, not to anybody outside Rivers State. You have been fighting Rivers State since 2015. They challenged me in 2015, I defeated them. In 2019, I defeated them. There is no third term.”
But the governor said unlike the ExxonMobil and Carveton, the management of the NLNG had been cooperating with the state to fight the spread of coronavirus.
He said: “I must commend the management of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) for obeying the established health protocol to check the spread of coronavirus.
“They have consistently liaised with the state government in the movement of their staff on essential duties. This is what is expected of a responsible corporate organization.”
Wike noted that his administration developed a comprehensive palliative scheme to help less privileged people survive the sit-at-home directive of his administration.
He said: “I directed the Palliatives Committee to ensure that their activities must not be partisan, religious or ethnic based.
“Let me State here that following my directive, the committee adopted a community based approach in the discharge of its assignment.
“The distribution of the foodstuffs is supervised at the ward level by a five-man committee made up of a clergy man, traditional ruler, community development committee chairman, woman leader and youth leader.
“So far, the Palliatives Committee has distributed foodstuffs to Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ikwerre and Eleme Local Government Areas.
“The Committee has also distributed foodstuffs to Special Homes in Port Harcourt.
“To ensure that nobody complains of hunger during this period, the Foodstuffs Purchasing Committee has set up food banks across the 23 local government areas of the state.
“These food banks are to be supervised by agricultural desks in each local government area.
“So far, the committee has purchased large quantitities of garri, yams, rice, palm oil and fish from local farmers and fishermen.
“The overall objective is to empower our farmers and fishermen while also providing enough foodstuffs for the less privileged in the state.”
Wike threatened companies doing business in the state but not supporting his administration’s efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, saying they would hear from Rivers people after the pandemic.
“Failure to support us shows total disregard for corporate social responsibility.
“I want to sincerely thank all individual and corporate donors who have supported us in the fight against COVID-19.
“At the appropriate time, the Rivers State Government will publish their names in national dailies and local tabloids for posterity.
“These individuals and corporate organisations are indeed friends of the state,” he said.
The Rivers State governor warned those plotting to disrupt the distribution of palliatives saying they would be sanctioned and lambasted critics of his government’s war against the pandemic.
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