The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, has revealed that state governments have yet to benefit from the improved revenue generated by the oil sector, as the remittances are not being properly credited to the Federation Account.

The governor, who also serves as the Chairman of the People Democratic Party Governors forum, urged the Federal Government to provide a clear and detailed explanation to the public as to why the revenues that have been collected are not being properly remitted for distribution and sharing among the three tiers of government as stipulated by the law.

The governor disclosed these when the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, paid a courtesy call at the government house ahead of the 2024 Conference for the National Council on Finance and Economic Development ongoing in the state.

He stressed that it should be considered nothing short of a miraculous work that States are yet to benefit under the current minister despite being one of the biggest oil-producing nations.

The PUNCH reports that NNPCL is a major revenue-generating agency in Nigeria, operating as the national oil company in charge of the management, sales, etc, of the country’s crude oil and gas, among other key functions.

It remits revenue from crude oil sales to government coffers.

But in recent years, the NNPC remitted literally zero funds to the Federation Account due to the payment of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit.

Checks by our correspondent showed that the national oil firm didn’t add a single naira to the federation account in 2022.

It said fuel subsidy stopped the revenue-generating firm from remitting taxes and royalties to the Federation Account, as well as halted the company from making a profit.

But the former Chief Financial Officer of NNPCL, Umar Ajiya, in a documentary earlier this year, confirmed that the removal of subsidy had made the company start making remittances into the Federation Account.

“We have now begun to pay dividends to the federation. We are also paying our due obligations in terms of taxes and royalties,” he stated.

The company further stated in the documentary that the end to subsidy enabled it to contribute N4.5tn to the Federation Account in nine months.

“For the first time in a long time, NNPC Ltd in 2023 contributed to the Federation Account, accounting for N4.5tn between January and September 2023,” the national oil company stated.

Additional checks also revealed that NNPC contributed N431.06bn of its accrued revenue to the federation account in the first seven months of 2024.

Stakeholders had expected improved disbursement following the removal of fuel subsidy by the current deregulation of the sector, which increased petrol prices by 490 per cent.

But commenting, the governor complained that it’s yet to see any changes.

He said, “It’s a miracle that we are one of the biggest oil-producing nations, but we have not benefited for some time since you came on board.

“You have to explain that this is what you are going through. That is inclusion. And if you don’t say it, nobody will know. But, some of us know. We call this leadership and responsibility.”

“You have to make our oil and gas sector produce. Not only to produce and sell but put it in our Treasury for distribution and sharing.

“You must provide financial services to us at subnational. Financial services that will help us to enhance our productivity, and also use the resources wisely. Because without us, there will be no Federal Government.”

Responding, the ruling All Progressives Congress have slammed governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party to prove that they have not benefited from the crude earnings under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.

In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, Deputy National Organising Secretary of APC, Nze Chidi Duru, urged the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, to always seek clarification before running to the public with unsubstantiated argument.

He said, “Our call at all points in time is that opposing views are welcome in as much as they are constructive towards nation-building, and they are not views expressed only because they want to play to the gallery. If his view is to be taken seriously, it must not be generic and verbose. It must be specific and concrete.

“Senator Mohammed must put down those evidence on the table for further elaboration. It is only at that point that we can then, as a political party, venture to take on the issues in a very objective manner. We have seen clamours of this before now and when you dig further, you will find no substance in it.

“So, by and large, it is welcome, and our call would be that he put the facts. We have always known that proceeds that ought to go into the consolidated revenue account of the country are not things done in an obscure manner. They are things that are done transparently.”

While stating that the APC government is not averse to correction, Duru demanded Mohammed present sufficient evidence to back up his claim, especially now that virtually every Nigerian knows each state earns more allocation under the current administration.

According to him, similar alarms raised in the past had turned out to be mere gaslighting on the part of those who want the Federal Government to look bad before the public.

“It is important again to note that this is the first time in the history of our country that more money has gone into the hands of the various tiers of government at various levels. At the state level and the local government level. So, one would be interested to know what these enormous resources have been deployed at those levels and used in the various states and tiers of government.

“So, the party and the government are not averse to any constructive criticisms or further feedback or data that would help the government to plug in the various loopholes that would bring in money. At the end of the day, these monies are not just meant for the federal government. It is not meant for the APC government or the Tinibu government. These are monies meant for distribution to the states, the local government as well as the federal.

“So, as much as the federal is interested in receiving more money, I would also believe that the states and the local government are also interested in receiving more money. The only way they can make more money or get more money on top of what they are getting is to point out if there are recognisable leakages in the system that need to be blocked.

“If the money that needs to come into the consolidated account is not coming in and is pointed out, the government would make the necessary effort to make sure that those monies are coming into the coffers of the government. This is where I think that the opposition should help headline and spotlight what needs to be done to make the country a much better place than is currently the case,” he stated.

The NNPCL Spokesperson, Femi Soneye, didn’t respond to calls, texts and WhatsApp messages sent to his phone lines to clarify the situation.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on Tuesday announced that it has begun tracking constituency projects worth N610bn across 22 states.

The anti-graft explained that the initiative aims to ensure that the projects are not abandoned and that the allocated funds are properly utilised.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, revealed that a total of 1,500 projects across the six geopolitical zones will be monitored.

He listed the states where the projects will be tracked as Kwara, Niger, Kogi, the Federal Capital Territory, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia, and Enugu.

He said, “The ICPC has kicked off Phase 7 of the Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Exercise.

“The tracking of the constituency and executive projects is an initiative of the commission that began in 2019, focusing on how well money allocated to critical sectors of education, health, agriculture, water resources and power, amongst others, by the government is utilised.

“The seventh phase, involving 1,500 projects with a total project value of N610bn, commenced on Monday, November 18th, 2024, in 22 states across the six geopolitical zones. The states are Kwara, Niger, Kogi, FCT, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia and Enugu State.

“The Phase 7 tracking exercise will cut across agencies of government, including intervention agencies such as the North-East Development Commission; the Niger Delta Development Commission; the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, Universal Basic Education Commission, Rural Electrification Agency, National Primary Health Care Development Authority, Tertiary Education Trust Fund and Ecological Fund Office.

“The objective of the exercise is to deepen adherence to due process in the execution of government projects, improve value for money, and entrench the culture of compliance with the scope and specification as contained in the contract documents.”

Bakare said during the last exercise, the commission tracked a total of 1,900 projects worth N500bn in 24 states.

He said, “The ICPC tracked a total of 1,900 projects valued at N500bn in Phase 6 of the exercise across 24 states of the nation’s six geopolitical zones.

“The projects were tracked within the focal sectors of Education, Water Resources, Agriculture, Power, Health, Energy, and Roads.

“These projects in the 6th phase were awarded to a total of 1,355 contractors in 176 MDAs.”

The founder of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, says he is constantly facing threat to his life by the powerful people behind oil theft in the country.

According to him, the oil thieves are powerful people outside of the Niger Delta.

Tompolo, speaking at Oporoza, the headquarters of the Gbaramatu Kingdom, on Monday, alleged that some naval personnel, a few days ago, forcefully attacked operatives of the private outfit during the arrest of some suspected oil thieves along the Port-Harcourt creeks.

Speaking during a working visit of the Nigerian Bar Association national executive, led by its President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), to the oil-bearing community, Tompolo called for synergy between the Navy and other security outfits.

Tompolo noted that in the course of the surveillance operations to round up crude oil barons, Tantita had stepped on toes and had become the target of revenge missions.

He said, “While doing this work, we have stepped on a lot of toes of people over there in Lagos and Abuja. We have stepped on a lot of toes. As I am here, after my court cases, I cannot travel anywhere because of me and the key people (barons) fighting this battle.

“If I want to travel to Abuja to visit you, I must go with security. Even with two or three security personnel, none of them are happy with me, and they are now collaborating with top players involved in oil theft.

“Most times, you see that Tantita Security now has confrontations with the Navy and every well-meaning Nigerian knows the function of the Nigerian Navy and Tantita, but nobody wants to come out to face the truth.

“If we happen to arrest anybody now, we would get a lawyer from Abuja, Lagos or Ibadan to do the case very well.”

Tompolo expressed worry that efforts to checkmate crude oil theft were being sabotaged in some quarters.

“Some few days back, our people intercepted a vessel in Port Harcourt, where the Nigerian Navy was shooting at Tantita Security, with police, Department of State Services and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

“We want to implore and beg you (NBA). You must play in this present situation, because if we are not careful in this country, maybe we will not have money to do any reasonable thing.

“All of us here know that Nigeria is facing hardship. A bag of rice is over N100,000.

“We are going to do our part locally. But you (NBA) are there at the top. If we make arrest today, lawyers would stand on the other side and this side.

“Can somebody come to load a vessel of 500 metric tonnes in this community? Nobody has that capacity; the person comes from Lagos, Abuja, or neighbouring countries.

“The man here would be a water boy for the people in charge. That is the one we would arrest,” he said.

Efforts by our correspondent to reach the Nigerian Navy spokesman, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, for comments on the issue, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.

A female official in the Naval Public Relations Office who picked up telephone calls from our reporter simply said she “had been transferred to Lagos,” just as she maintained that “Commodore Adams-Aliu is in the best position to react to the issue.”

Speaking earlier during a courtesy call on the Pere of Gbaramatu kingdom, Oboro-Gbaraun II, in his palace, the NBA President expressed delight over the recent announcement from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited that oil production had risen to 1.8 million barrels per day, with a promise to increase it up to 2 million bpd by the end of this year.

“If the oil production keeps going up, it will benefit all of us and the government will be able to provide for the needs of the people,” he stated.

Consequently, the NBA president maintained that “there is a need to stem the theft of our commonwealth.

“The fight against oil theft is more desirable now, more than ever before, because Nigeria is borrowing so much to fund its budget and cannot meet the needs of Nigerians.”

While lamenting over continuous borrowing by the Federal Government to fund the budget, the NBA President maintained that “if the leakages in oil production are well blocked, it will go a long way in boosting the country’s earnings.”

The NBA team also noted with concern that oil exploration activities in the Niger Delta had adversely impacted the region “as manifested in the environmental pollution and degradation of most of the host communities.”

On this, the NBA President said, “We resolved to make an on-the-scene assessment of the oil-bearing communities to see the hardship they are suffering.

“The NBA is interested in the issues of oil theft coupled with the effects of environmental pollution and environmental degradation as a result of oil exploration on the host communities.

“The irony is that these communities that bear the responsibilities of the nation’s oil wealth do not enjoy the wealth as most of the cities in the country.”

He continued, “Our branches in the oil-bearing areas should be interested in the issues of oil theft which goes on in many communities because it has affected our national economy and also impacted negatively on the ability of the government to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

“It has also impacted negatively on our foreign reserves. It has adversely affected Nigeria’s ability to meet its minimum OPEC quarter for oil production. We felt that the matter should be taken seriously.

“We know that Gbaramatu Kingdom plays host to a company called Tantita Security Services which has been working with the NNPCL and the Office of the National Security Adviser.

“It has done a lot of good work on the issue of pipeline protection and the issue of oil theft. We thought that it would be a good place for us to come, first to get first-hand knowledge of how this battle has been fought, what the challenges approached, and how the fight has helped improve the Nigerian economic standing.”

The traditional ruler of Gbaramatu kingdom, in response, called for infrastructural development of the host communities, noting that “presently, the government is far from us.”

He added, “I want to let you know that the presence of the government is even far from us. All these you are seeing is from the efforts of our elite, our big boys.

“So we are also calling on the government, we produce the oil, from our territory we feed the coffers of this country. So they should draw closer to us and do the needful for us to also reciprocate.”

He specifically made a case for the establishment of a magistrate’s court in the Gbaramatu Kingdom just as he also appealed to the leadership of the NBA to mentor members of the Gbaramatu Lawyers Association to further brighten their career prospects in the legal profession.

“We need people like this to come to see things here. This is Gbaramatu. Before now, people were making all sorts of allegations against Gbaramatu Kingdom, but now you are here.

“We always tell people, if you are coming to Gbaramatu Kingdom, don’t be afraid.

“We are working for the peace of the Niger Delta, extending hands of fellowship to other kingdoms. Ijaw people stand for truth. We are a peaceful people.

“Today, I want to tell our lawmakers that the judge in the court should conclude in the court. But as the chairman here, I want to extend this to you, I know I’m not a lawyer or lawmaker, but before concluding your judgments, if it is needed, maybe, a land case, you should come to see for yourself before the final judgment.”