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A coalition of ex-agitators under the auspices of Niger Delta Amnesty Beneficiary Forum (NDABF) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to probe some officials of the Ministry of Justice following abrupt transfer of legal officers attached to the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP). The ex-agitators, who spoke in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, said the probe should be centred on the motive behind the transfer authorised by the Solicitor-General and the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Beatrice Jeddy-Agba. The National Coordinator, NDABF, James Okori, said they suspected that the sudden transfer was meant to frustrate PAP from filling proper defence against 15 companies accused of involvement in the 2019 looting of the N60billion amnesty training centre located in Kaiama, Bayelsa. Okori said they were suspecting that the officials were sabotaging the legal battle instead of supporting the legal representation of PAP against the N3.8billion suit filed by the accused companies with 21per cent post judgement fee and special damages, which could run between N5billion to N8billion. He said: “We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Security Adviser, the ICPC, EFCC, and DSS to investigate the officials of the Federal Justice Ministry over their alleged role in removing the legal adviser and other legal officers from the Amnesty Office. “We suspect that these officials may have been compromised by the accused companies. The removal of the legal officers attached to the Presidential Amnesty Office at this moment of such suit by the accused showed an alleged sabotage against the amnesty office from defending themselves against the N3.8billion lawsuit brought against the amnesty office by the 15 companies. “The legal suit was for alleged unexecuted contracts during the tenure of the former Amnesty Coordinator, Prof. Charles Dokubo which allegedly led to the five days looting of the N60billion Amnesty Training Complex in Boro Town, Kaiama, Bayelsa State in February, 2019. “Presently, the Amnesty Office does not have a legal adviser or competent legal representative. We strongly support the 124 amnesty beneficiaries that have filed cases against these 15 companies in two Federal High Courts in Abuja. “The public must know that five companies out of the fifteen companies that are suing the amnesty office are allegedly not registered with the corporate affairs commission. They are suing for N3.8billion, plus 21percent post – judgement, and they are also requesting for special damages which can go as high as N5billion to N8billion.” Okori appealed to Buhari not allow those saddled with the responsible of defending the Federal Government and any of its agencies from reneging from their oath of office and loyalty to the country and the good work of his administration. He said: “All we ask for is for justice. It is also our prayer that you cause urgent investigation into the matter. The hour has come; all ex-militants must rise up to support Col. Miland Dixon Dikio to fight against fraud and corruption in the amnesty programme. “Dikio has repositioned the amnesty programme towards achieving its core mandates, and he has done exceptionally well since his appointment as Interim Administrator”.
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Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has offered candid political advice to former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, to make sure that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wins all elections in his state. The Rivers State governor said it was better for Makarfi, who was the former national acting chairman of the PDP, to focus on the forthcoming 2023 general election and how he would ensure victory for the PDP in Kaduna State, instead of joining to say uncanny things about him. Wike gave the advice, yesterday, at the inauguration of the sand-fill area and estate layout in Ogbum-Nu-Abali, Port Harcourt, which was performed by Enugu State Governor, Hon Ífeanyi Ugwuanyi. “This morning, I was watching Channels TV, I saw former national acting chairman of the PDP, Ahmed Makarfi, and he said he is very close to me. I don’t know how close he is to me. “Somebody who is close to me, I don’t know when last we spoke. I have never spoken to him for the past five months. So, if you’re close to somebody politically, there is no way, in five months, you wouldn’t have spoken to the person.Is it not? “He said, Wike, you’re sabotaging other people. I don’t know who says the other people have not. What I want to advise Makarfi is: look, you have a job, make sure PDP wins in Kaduna State. That is your job, leave Wike alone. “Take it upon yourself that Kaduna falls to PDP. I don’t want to hear excuses that they rigged election or they didn’t rig election. That is what I’ve told everybody. In Kano, make sure PDP wins. In Niger, make PDP wins. In Jigawa, make sure PDP wins. If you win, then, see whether PDP wins here or not. It’s ‘Operation Deliver Your State’. Don’t use anybody’s state to add up.” Wike also urged some Rivers politicians who delight in joining the company of politicians of other states to receive their defectors into PDP to return home and work to increase the numerical strength of the party in Rivers State. According to him, the best way to show capacity to deliver votes for the party would be to deliver votes from the polling units, wards and the state. “It’s not to go to Abuja and begin to gossip, say all kinds of things, come home and mobilise, let us see the capacity you have. It’s ‘operation deliver your poling units, operation deliver your ward, and operation deliver your local government. That is what politics is all about.” Speaking about the project, Wike said his administration has created a new city within the state capital out of a swampy mangrove that once was a hideout for criminals and kidnappers. Wike recalled that even if the people of Ogbum-Nu-Abali fought against the project and one of them dragged the government to court, but they are now happy with how the place has been transformed. “We have created a new city where people will live, provided them with water, electricity, sewage, everything. This place can take at least, not less than 160 families if allocated.” Performing the inauguration of the project, Enugu State Governor, HonÍfeanyiUgwuanyi, expressed delight to be invited for the third time to inaugurate project provided by Wike for Rivers people. The Enugu State governor described Wike as an intense leader who leads from the front, famed for his legendary knack for project execution, and unrelenting crusade for the fundamental liberties as well as the economic interest of the people of Rivers State. “Wike’s administration has done well and is worthy of our commendation. I, therefore, avail myself this opportunity to salute a standard-bearer in project delivery; a passionate promoter of the tenets of our constitutional democracy and federalism; an unrepentant advocate of the rule of law, equity and fair play; a formidable politician; a man imbued with the requisite gravitas for statecraft; and most importantly, my brother and friend.” Ugwuanyi noted Wike’s strides in such austere time, which underscores the transformative capabilities of a responsive, responsible and accountable subnational government. He pointed out that Wike has transformed the landscape of Port Harcourt City and the verdict of history would be kind to him. Providing the description of the project, Rivers State Commissioner for Special Projects, DeinmaIyalla, said the entire reclaimed land measures 15.4 hectares, filled with about 432 cubic of sand and has five exit gates provided. “This terrain was generally a swampy place with tough Marie clay and mangrove woods. The land entails land reclamation, shore protection, construction of road network with street lights, drains, power stations, after reticulation facilities. “The land was allowed to settle for two years after the dredging before construction work commenced. A total of 2,300 meters(2.3km) of internal roads was constructed with cover slaps on drains and street lights. “The estate is also provided with central electricity with power stations located strategically. A central water reticulation facility, with two water tanks of 360,000 litres each. One of the tanks is for drinking water while the other tank is for domestics use.” In his address, the South-South Regional Manager of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Juergen Fischer, commended the Rivers State Government for granting the company the opportunity to part of its urban renewal programme.
The Federal Government has proposed to spend N3.36trillion on fuel subsidy payment in 2023. Petrol subsidy would remain up to mid-2023 sequel to the 18-month extension announced early in 2021. The government is proposing to spend N19.76trillion in 2023. The 2023 budget, however, had a proposed deficit of N11.3trillion. Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, made the declaration in Abuja while addressing a sitting of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance on the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework. Ahmed said government was projecting revenue of N8.46trillion for 2023; N1.9trillion of which would come from oil-related sources while the balance would come from non-oil sources. She said the budget would be premised on $70 per barrel of crude oil and an exchange rate of N435.57 to the dollar. The minister said oil production for 2023 was pegged at 1.69million barrel per day; a real GDP growth rate of 3.7per cent and inflation rate of 17.16per cent for the year. The minister also told the session that there would be tighter enforcement of performance management framework for government-owned enterprises that would significantly increase operating surplus/dividend remittances in 2023. Ahmed assured that there were no projections that Nigeria would default in her debt services in the nearest future. She assured also that while the amount currently used in debt servicing had overshot appropriation in the 2022 budget, systems had been put in place to manage the situation. “We planned that 60per cent of revenue would be spent on debt servicing, but in some months, the ratio went up to 90per cent. “We have been able to, consistently without fail, serviced our debt and we do not have any projections even in the near future that we will fail. “We actually follow the Medium Term Debt Management Strategy very strictly; the debts are not taken haphazardly and they are planned. “They are appropriated and then we borrow against appropriation,” she stressed. The minister acknowledged, however, that government was under pressure to manage debt servicing following the drop in revenue generation. She called on the National Assembly and on other stakeholders to join government to increase revenue performance. Earlier, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. James Faleke (APC-Lagos State) noted that Nigeria was short of revenue, and that so many things suffered when revenue was short. The Debt Management Office had earlier stated that Nigeria’s debt profile as at December 2021 stood at N39.55trillion.
The Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Melee Kyari, yesterday, said some illegal petroleum products pipelines were connected to churches and mosques. He also said that the shutting down of pipelines in the country was deliberate. The CEO also said that the reason for shutting down the refineries include the challenge of not operating as a business, thereby making them to incur loses. Speaking when he featured at the ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the State House, Kyari said that the authorities of the NNPC borrowed $1billion from the AFREXIM Bank to put in place the refineries. He added that the management of the company was confident that it was restoring the company for about 90percent efficiency. He further noted that the repayment of the borrowed money was tied to the productivity of the refineries, boasting that NNPC would deliver on the rehabilitation exercise. He also assured that there would not be any importation of petroleum products by the middle of next year. While lamenting on the level of loses on the nation’s pipelines, he said that the nefarious business of pipeline vandals cuts across different regions and religious organisations where the pipelines pass through. According to Kyari, some of the pipelines are illegally connected around churches and mosques. The CEO said that the NNPC management is building National Reserve Company. Maintaining that the issue of crude oil theft is real and happening, he said the company was not helpless as its efforts were paying off. He said that 295 illegal connections were discovered in one line, in less than 200 meters, and that the company with the help of the security agencies and the directive of the Chief of Defence Staff, they were able to intervene. He said so far, 30 speed boats, 179 wooden boats, 37 trucks have been impounded, but that the authorities have taken the decision not to arrest any longer but to burn such confiscated products. Besides, he said, 122 persons comprising highly placed individuals have been arrested between April and August and that some of them have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He said 739 ovens for the illegal crude oil theft have been discovered and some destroyed, 344 reservoir created and 355 cooking pots also discovered, stressing that the level of the illegal business was enormous. “It simply means destruction of environment. We have lost revenue,” he declared. On the alleged contract to the former Niger Delta agitator, Government Ekpemupolo also known as Tompolo, the NNPC CEO said that the contract was not awarded to Tompolo as a person, but a company he has interest in. He explained that it was not the first time that individuals within the Niger Delta region were awarded a contract for pipeline surveillance, noting that the contract was for the interest of the people. He said it was his belief that the Federal Government has taken the right decision to hire private contractors to man its oil pipeline network nationwide. Kyari argued that although the security agencies are doing their part, end-to-end pipeline surveillance would require the involvement of private entities and community stakeholders. He said: “We need private contractors to man the right of way to these pipelines. “So, we put up a framework for contractors to come and bid and they were selected through a tender process. And we believe we made the right decision.” According to earlier reports, one of those selected is a former Nigerian militant commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Government Ekpemupolo, predominantly referred to as Tompolo. Fielding further questions on the contract, Kyari explained that although the Federal Government is not dealing directly with the former creek warlord, it has signed a contract with a company in which Tompolo has interests. “We have taken the right decision,” he said. The NNPC Limited also said that upon completion of rehabilitation works at its refineries, it would be quitting the management and operations of the nation’s refineries. Kyari said NNPC would not again make the mistake of the past 43 years by managing the refineries. Rather, he said, the management of such would be handed over to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). Recall that NNPC had last year secured a N1billion loan for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery from AFREXIM Bank. The 210,000 barrels per day rehabilitation is currently being carried out by Italy’s MaireTechnimont. He said no lender will put such money into a project without being sure of how to recoup returns on investment. He explained that the assurance by NNPC to AFREXIM Bank that it would not run the refinery led to the granting of the facility. Kyari also disclosed that a reserves company to be floated would henceforth manage the pipelines and strategic reserves for the country. He explained that this is what obtains in other parts of the world in a bid to guarantee energy security. Meanwhile, against the backdrop of recent figures of missing/stolen crude oil put at 200,000 barrels daily by the NNPC Limited, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral AwwalGambo,hasargued that it was practically impossible for such quantity of crude to be stolen daily, given the deployments of Nigerian Navy Ships and other operational platforms spread across the nations maritime domain. The huge/shocking but disputed oil theft figures had been given by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources which the total estimated quantity of barrels stolen per day at between 200,000 to 400,000 per day. Speaking as guest of Channels TV, Gambo clarified that the data may not have emanated from oil theft alone noting that the government agencies were mistakenly attributing/calculating losses due to force majeure, and shut-ins as part of oil being stolen. He said, “As much as there is no perfect system, the phenomenon of oil theft and losses must be properly de-conflicted in order to proffer lasting solutions to the malaise which is currently bedevilling our economic resources. “We need to understand the differences between oil theft and of course, oil loss. While oil theft is siphoning oil from vandalised pipes into barges, oil losses occur when there is non-production, especially during shut-ins and force majeure as the Federal Government does not earn the desired revenue it should”. Explaining further, the CNS said oil losses could be as a result of metering errors on the operating platforms, while the volume of crude oil shut-ins from non-production are often added to oil theft data instead of accounting for them as oil losses by the authorities. “This should not be. Some sources also claim that about 20,000 to 200,000 barrels per day are being considered stolen. Most of these claims are definitely outrageous and they are unrealistic,” he insisted. Buttressing the fact that it is practically impossible to steal such volume of oil without being detected, Gambo said, “Let us even briefly analyse this. For instance, 100,000 barrels of crude oil is equivalent to 15,800,000 litres of crude, which requires a five-ton barge making 3,160 trips per day to convey this product out of the creeks. “How do you pass the estuaries with this? So, let’s assume now you even have many barges because of the time required to carry out this product. That means you entirely close the navigable waters heading out to sea, through the estuaries, to embark them or to transit them into a mother vessel that will eventually take them out of the country. “Of course, this is most unlikely considering the heightened presence of security agencies in the maritime environment as well as the launch of the subsisting operations by the Nigerian Navy, including of course, the deployment of the maritime domain awareness facilities”. Recall that many Nigerians have in recent times interrogated the reports of huge crude oil stealing in the nation’s maritime domain and wondered if the Navy were complicit in the oil theft which had made it difficult for the country to produce the 65per cent of its allocation/quota by Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The Naval Chief while maintaining that efforts have been intensified to detect and foil crude oil theft, noted that in the last four weeks the Navy has detected a number of vessels attempting to load crude and liquefied natural gas within offshore terminals without necessary documentation and approval from the relevant authorities like the NNPCL. He listed some of such incidences that have occurred in the past four to five weeks to include the arrest of MT Arabia, which is an LNG super-tanker, which entered the country on the 12th of July to load liquefied natural gas without relevant documents. Also foiled was MT Trinity Arrow, which was also apprehended for entering without necessary approval but only got clearance to load LNG on July 12, also after its papers were updated. The latest, he said, is the super-tanker, MT HEROIC which is 336 meters long, and 60 meters wide, describing it as a very massive ship. “Imagine the size of three football fields and 1/3 more. It has the capacity of carrying three million barrels”. Consequently, the CNS disclosed Gambo that talks were in progress to ensure the handover of the super tanker, MT Heroic for a proper investigation into its actions and why it accused the Nigerian Navy of being sea pirates.
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