News
Reps to partner with Navy to fish out crude oil thieves
By Francesca Hangeior
The House of Representatives Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft and Losses has appealed to the Nigerian Navy to assist it with relevant information to unravel those behind the perennial stealing of the country’s crude oil.
Rep. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, the Chairman of the Committee, said in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja after its engagement with the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogala.
He assured Ogala that information obtained confidentially by the committee would be handled with the utmost care.
According to him, crude oil theft is a major concern for the economy of our country, Nigeria, and on that note, we feel we have to extend our hands of fellowship to the relevant security stakeholders.
“The parliament budgeted about N28.77 trillion for the year 2024 based on the crude oil benchmark of $77.96 per barrel and the production of 1.78 million barrels per day.
“In January 2024, Nigerian oil production rose to about 1.42 million barrels per day; this represents an increase of about 6.85 per cent compared to the production figure of 1.39 million barrels per day in December 2023.
He said there seemed to be a gradual improvement in oil production, but added that the country was still below the OPEC quota of 1.58 million barrels per day in the 2024 budget benchmark.
Doguwa said that the major reason the country was not meeting its production targets was largely attributed to crude oil theft.
“This theft is being carried out in collusion, which not only threatens the economy of the country but has even precipitated a crisis concerning national security.”
The statement quoted the Chief of Naval Staff, who agreed that oil theft remained a major challenge to the country’s economy, stressing the recent report by NNPC Ltd. of the rise of crude oil production to about 1.78 million bpd.
This, he said, was the highest in the last three years, adding that it was still below Nigeria’s OPEC quota while ensuring that the Navy would work in collaboration with others to ensure the quota was met.
He, however, lamented the shortage of personnel in the face of the vastness of the country’s waterways, which he said were over 1/10th of Nigeria’s land.
He said the Navy had less than 30,000 personnel to man the vast sea space with the operational guidelines of policing, enforcing, and assisting in coordinating enforcement.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
US President-elect, Donald Trump’s incoming administration plans to immediately order a series of deportation raids targeting illegal immigrants after his inauguration.
Chicago is expected to be the first major city targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as part of Operation Safeguard, the New York Times reported, citing two people familiar with planning the undertaking.
The massive deportation operation is expected to target criminals and gang members in the United States illegally and run for one week.
Trump has promised to conduct the largest deportation program in U.S. history.
Up to 200 ICE agents are being sent to Chicago to help kick off the operation on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported. The agency has already asked agents to volunteer for the post-inauguration raids.
“There’s gonna be a big raid across the country,” Tom Homan, who will be in charge of U.S. borders once Trump takes office, told Fox News in an interview.
Homan has previously said he will instruct ICE agents to carry out raids on illegal immigrants at their workplaces.
In addition to Chicago, the sweeping crackdown will also target other major U.S. cities with large immigrant populations.
Trump is set to take the oath of office on Monday, January 20, in an inauguration that will take place indoors.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A faith-based civil society organization, CSO that monitors and reports on Hajj and Umrah activities, the Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR, has commended the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, for selecting a different Saudi-based Hajj service provider for the 2025 Hajj season.
It said the decision would create healthy competition among service providers interested in efficiently, qualitatively, and satisfactorily serving Nigerian pilgrims.
The CSO, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Malam Ibrahim Muhammed, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and made available to our correspondent on Sunday in Abuja, said the quest for improved Hajj services has been a major challenge for Nigerian pilgrims owing to the repeated failure of providing satisfactory services.
”We applauded the decision to pick another service provider that will cater for the needs of pilgrims within the Masha’ir areas during the five days of Hajj,” he said
The national coordinator, who is currently in Saudi Arabia to monitor the pre-Hajj arrangements, said available information shows that the new company, Mashariq Al Dhahabia, is an experienced provider that has served top-rated Hajj countries, like Indonesia and Malaysia, and ranked among the top five Hajj service providers by the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
“The company served 249 706 which is the largest number of Hajj pilgrims during the 2023 hajj. They were awarded as the Best Hajj Service Providers during the 2022 Hajj by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah,” he stated.
IHR said it further understood that NAHCON is planning to recruit another service provider to provide services for very important personalities, VIP pilgrims so as not to repeat the experience of previous years, which is also a desired step forward.
It, however, urged NAHCON to set a parameter of performance for the newly selected service providers to serve as a baseline for determining continuous patronage, advising that such criteria should be based on pilgrims’ satisfaction and adherence to contractual terms.
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