Operatives of 6 Division, Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt, Rivers State have arrested five illegal oil bunkering suspects.

This was as the troop of the Division also uncovered five 45,000 capacity reservoirs ladened with approximately 225,000 liters of crude in the thick forest of the community.

The army made this discovery and arrest at Odagwa Community in Etche Local Government Area of the state.

Conducting journalists around the forest for the achievement, the Commanding Officer, 29 Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Ishaya Manga, revealed that the troops achieved the feat through the combination of technology and human intelligence.

Manga, who represented the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Nigerian, Port Harcourt, Major General Jamal Abdusallam, vowed that the troops would not rest until illegal oil bunkering and other crime perpetrated within their Area of Operation are brought to a standstill.

He further noted that apart from the huge amount of stolen crude oil discovered, several other cooking pots were uncovered and destroyed by the operatives.

Manga said: “In continuation of our operation to rid 6 Division area of illegal oil bunkering and other forms of criminality which began in February organised by the division. It is against this backdrop that the troops of 6 Division were directed to identify, locate and destroy all illegal refineries within the 6 Division area of responsibility.

“We use two approaches to our discoveries, one of the approaches is drones, but it is not everything that the drone can sight, so we deployed our second approach which is human intelligence and that is what we’ve been using so far and it has been yielding tremendous results.”

While emphasising that the operations of the criminals were negatively impacting the social economic activities of the state, he explained that each of the uncovered reservioirs contained about 45,000 liters of the product.

He said: “This is economic sabotage against the federal government, impacting negatively on the social economic activities, as well as the health of the citizens and that is why we are here. We would continue to do our best to ensure that all illegal refineries in this area are destroyed.

“Apart from these reservoirs, there are other cooking pots at various locations not far from here which would be completely destroyed.

“In this general area of Odagwa, our troops have discovered about five reservoirs filled with about 45,000 liters of illegal crude oil and there are other empty reservoirs discovered by the troops, the operation is ongoing and we will continue to make further discoveries. As soon as the discoveries are made, the public would be informed.”

While commending the law-abiding citizens for their cooperation in their fight against illegal oil bunkering in the state, he warned economic saboteurs in the state to steer clear of government’s infrastructure.

“I also want to send a message to those oil bunkerers to desist from these forms of criminality because it is against the law, this is sabotage against the federal government, Rivers State government and the community where this heinous crime is being carried out.

“So far we have arrested five suspects and those arrested would be taken to the division where they would be referred to the relevant authorities for prosecution,” he mentioned.

Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has disclosed that his principal, President Bola Tinubu, subsidised the 2024 Hajj with N90 billion.

He stated this when he represented Tinubu to flag off the inaugural airlift of the 2024 Hajj exercise from Nigeria to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.

Shettima urged the intending pilgrims to pray for peace, unity, and progress in the country, urging the intending pilgrims to abide by all rules and regulations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and urged them to avoid any illicit act capable of affecting the integrity of their Hajj.

“Mr president has been committed to this year’s Hajji due to the economic situation, he has also contributed the sum of N90 billion to subsidise this year’s Hajj exercise to have a smooth and successful exercise.

”You may recall that this year, we had a major challenge in announcing the final hajj fare for the 2024 Muslim pilgrimage due to fluctuation in foreign exchange rates.

”President Bola Tinubu also works round the clock to control the downward spiral of our local currency to bring relief to our pilgrims and other Nigerians.

”A move that eventually succeeded in lowering the fare. The President approved the release of N90 billion to subsidised the cost of pilgrimage for this year’s hajj.”

He said that the government of Renewed Hope led by Tinubu attaches immense importance to religious pilgrimage due to the role it plays in transforming behavioral and social vices of the believers beyond performing the pilgrimage.

Earlier in his remarks, the Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris, said this year’s Hajji signifies a sacred journey for thousands of devoted pilgrims who embarked on a spiritual voyage to the Holy Land.

He explained further that Hajj is a time to honoured tradition that holds great significance for Muslims around the world.

“It is a journey of faith, devotion, and unity where believers come together to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam, the pilgrimage to Mecca is a profound experience that fosters a sense of community, humility, and spiritual renewal,” he said

The governor urged the people that they should remember the significance of this sacred ritual, adding that Hajji remained a testament to the unity of Muslim Ummah, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural differences.

“It is a time for reflection, prayer, and seeking forgiveness, as well as an opportunity for personal growth and self-discovery,” he added.

He commended the Federal Government, National Hajji Commission, and those that were involved for their commitment to the successful exercise.

Idris noted with satisfaction that Kebbi was the first state to remit 2024 Hajj fare in Nigeria, adding the intending pilgrims from Kebbi were given special treatment by the present administration to comfort them toward a successful Hajj exercise.

The governor said his administration had spent N900 for infrastructural development of the Hajj Camp in Birnin Kebbi to make it more conducive for the intending pilgrims

In his remarks, the NAHCON National Chairman, Alhaji Jalai Ahmad Arabi, thanked the President and Kebbi governor for their support and cooperation towards the success of this year’s Hajji exercise.

The Federal Government has announced N318.5bn revenue inflow in the first quarter of 2024, the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Madein disclosed on Wednesday in Abuja.

Madein stated this while briefing members of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, on the revenue performance of the various agencies of government in the first quarter of 2024.

Represented by the Director, Revenue and Investment in the Office of the Accountant General, Maiden, noted that the 2024 fiscal year would be exceptional in terms of revenue generation, owing to the policies of the President Bola Tinubu-led government.

She said, “Reconciliation is still being done but the total revenue inflows to the Federal Government for January to March amounts to N318.5bn as against a total budget of 2.691tn.

“For the budget, the bottom-up cash planning policy is on course and the 2024 budget is going to be implemented via that policy. Officers have been retained and sensitization is ongoing to ensure that Ministries, Departments and Agencies are well equipped on the modalities and conditionalities.”

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Finance Incorporated, Armstrong Takang, who also briefed the lawmakers, disclosed that some agencies under MOFI have so far declared dividends of N101bn.

Takang said, “So far, we have received dividends declared by some companies. But for many others, their reports are either being prepared and have not been completed or have been completed but they have not gone to their boards for approval and subsequently the Annual General Meeting. As such, we cannot use the number of their dividends until that has been done based on the corporate governance rules.

“Based on the number so far, it is about N101 billion from the entities we have identified. We continue with other entities whose dividends have not been paid to ensure we go through the process of them passing it at the board level and the AGM before the figures are sent to us and the money rendered to the treasury.”

The Chairman of the Committee, James Faleke, in his intervention, directed all the agencies under MOFI to furnish the parliament with their annual report for the past 10 years.

According to him, “All organisations under MOFI should produce their annual report for the past 10 years and the dividend that ought to have been paid, what ought to have been paid, and what was paid by each of the agencies, and of course evidence of payments.”

Earlier, Faleke who represents Ikeja Federal Constituency, Lagos State, explained that the session was in in line with the oversight function of the committee to ensure that the revenue targets of the various agencies in the 2024 fiscal year are met.

“We have to ensure that those estimates are met. The appropriation has become a law and so the revenue that you are proposing to generate in the year, we take it upon ourselves to do it every quarter to measure your performance.

“We want to ensure that revenue activities from January to March are in line with your appropriation. When you are giving us your figure, you tell us what the figure was expected for the generation and what you have achieved,” he added.