Rivers, Arik Air Rift Deepens

Rivers, Arik Air Rift Deepens

THE rift between Rivers State Government and the management of Arik Air, a private airline, has taken a turn for the worse, with friends of Governor Chibuike Amaechi calling for a boycott of the airline.

Some aggrieved political foot soldiers of the Amaechi administration are claiming that the airline is out to sabotage the current security situation in the state as the 2011 elections approach.

Former Governor Peter Odili, who dominated the politics of Rivers for eight years (1999-2007), is alleged to have a huge interest in Arik Air. Most of his political associates who supoorted his quashed presidential project in 2007, are frontline executives of Arik.

An in-house magazine of Arik Air Limited, ''The Winds” is claiming that Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, is not a safe destination. Irked, the Amaechi administration has described the claim as a fallacy and requested for a retraction of the said ''offensive publication''.

Pro-Amaechi forces told AkanimoReports on Monday that the claim by the airline tends to contradict the present status of Port Harcourt, as a safe place, which is a product of the commitment of the State Government to stamp out criminality .

The state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari said the traveling advice from Arik Air was apparently done in bad taste.

Mrs. Semenitari observed that the information contained in the said publication was disturbing since Arik Air, which began its operations from the Garden City Terminal in the heart of Port Harcourt, has witnessed zero disruption to its operations over the years and has full compliments of staff in Rivers State.

“It is even more worrisome because Arik Air has the bulk of its operations in Rivers State outside Lagos, yet went ahead to issue a travelling advice that is apparently in bad taste, and does not in any way represent the truth”, the commissioner declared.

She explained that the state Executive Council mandated the relevant ministries to insist on the withdrawal of the falsehood by Arik Air management, and demand the retraction of the statement against the state.

Mrs. Semenitari also said Exco directed all Ministries and Parastatals to commence the use of energy bulbs in keeping with the State Government’s commitment to ensuring that a clean environment profile is boosted.

She therefore advised residents of the state to consider the use of Energy bulbs, which have a better effect on the environment.

On the visit of the Acting President, the Commissioner said plans are in top gear to properly host the August visitor expected for Thursday, May 6th 2010, and enjoined the people of the state to demonstrate their usual hospitality by turning out en masse to give the Acting President a rousing welcome, while urging them to keep their environment clean.

She noted that the visit of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was significant because it was the first official visit of the Acting President since he assumed the position.

Mrs. Semenitari said State Exco has congratulated the Head of Service and the Civil Servants over the activities marking the workers’ week, including the football competition, and advised them to adopt the full spirit of sportsmanship throughout the games.

In the mean time, some aggrieved members of the public have called on public functionaries and friends of the Amaechi administration to boycott Arik Air if they failed to play ball by retracting the ''offending report''.

ENDS

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