Rivers aircraft controversy: Govt officials express shock over company’s denial

Posted by admin Headlines, Rivers, State News Friday, May 17th, 2013

Senior Rivers State government officials have continued to express surprise at the denial of the transactions with the state over its aircraft by the management of Caverton Helicopters.
Representatives of the company had, in the wake of the controversies surrounding the aircraft, denied Rivers State’s claims that it had been operated on behalf of the state by the company.
But some of the senior officials of the state who would not want to be mentioned, but were informed about Caverton’s involvement in the running of the aircraft noted that the company might have been harassed by aviation agencies into denying the transaction with the state.
Meanwhile, officials also said they welcomed the 48-hour ultimatum given by the lawmakers for the NCAA to produce the documentation and licences of all privately owned jets in the country to ascertain if the Bombardier was being treated equally with others.
At the House of Representatives committee sitting on Tuesday, in Abuja, the Rivers State government, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), George Feyii, had submitted that the importation was done through a Nigerian company, Caverton Helicopters, but the management of the company denied such responsibility before the committee.
Rivers State officials who handled the transactions told newsmen on condition of anonymity that they had been stunned by the denial of a business partner before a probe panel.
The sources said Caverton executives might have been under pressure to disown the deal, even in the face of huge evidence and documents.
The saving grace, they noted, is the ultimatum for the aviation authorities to produce the ownership documents that warranted the licences granted by the NCAA, within 48 hours. The government officials said nobody would be able to build up fresh documents that would be genuine within that period, except they forced the House to extend the deadline.

-Tribunewp_posts