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FG Begins 13% Derivation Template Review, HOSCON Confirms …Seeks $14bn Gas Flare Penalty Levy For Communities
The Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSCON), has disclosed that the Federal Government is currently working with oil-producing communities in the country to review the template for the payment of the 13 per cent derivation of revenue generated from oil and gas directly to host communities.
In an interview with newsmen in Abuja, National Chairman of HOSCON, Mr Mike Emuh, said this became necessary because the Constitution stipulates that proceeds from the 13 per cent derivation of revenues from oil be paid directly to oil-producing communities.
He stated that the review of the payment template was in addition to the approval granted the host communities to engage in pipeline surveillance across the length and breadth of the Niger Delta.
He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari also gave us approval for pipeline surveillance, and gave approval for the review of 13 per cent derivation template, based on the amended 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which states that the money is the right of the host communities that produce oil and gas, and this is being extended to other minerals, including solid minerals. As we are talking now, we are working on the template.”
He called on President Buhari to ensure that the 13 per cent derivation goes directly to the oil-producing communities by creating a presidential 13 per cent derivation committee, while people from the host communities should be appointed to the committee.
Emuh further called on oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to pay the outstanding $14billion gas flare penalty levy to the host communities, noting that most of the oil companies had not paid this fine for more than 10 years.
He said the Presidency had created an opportunity for collaboration between the oil-producing communities and the European Union, adding that the latter had advised oil-producing communities to work in synergy with both the international and indigenous oil firms to create an enabling environment for oil operations and economic growth.
He urged the president to mandate all oil companies to relocate their headquarters to the states from which they operate, adding: “The international oil companies should make sure that they relocate from Lagos to the areas of their operations. Their presence in Lagos is already adding to the many challenges of the state, such as in the area of population and traffic congestion.”
Emuh further called on the president to carry along indigenes of oil-producing communities in governance, as according to him, this would create a level playing field for the region and create an enabling environment for industrialisation, increased employment and improved agriculture.
On the issue of insecurity in the country, Emuh said, “I want to say that the issue of insecurity should not be an issue of religion neither should it be an issue of politics. It should be an issue of challenge”.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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