Aniefiok Christopher
Akwa Ibom State risks losing the 76 oil wells to Cross River State following the commencement of coordinate plotting by the Federal Government for disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells.
The move expected to bring final clarity to long-standing ownership disputes and determine the rightful beneficiaries of derivation revenue is contrary to the Supreme Court Ruling.
Despite a subsisting Supreme Court judgment that affirmed Akwa Ibom’s status as a littoral state, fresh concerns have emerged over indications that the Federal Government may be taking steps that could favour Cross River State in the allocation of the oil wells.
The exercise is being coordinated by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission RMAFC after the successful completion of field verification by an Inter Agency Technical Committee established to address disputes among oil producing states, including Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa and Ondo.
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At the centre of the controversy are 76 offshore oil wells whose ownership has remained a source of tension between Akwa Ibom and Cross River states for more than a decade.
Akwa Ibom maintains that the wells fall squarely within its maritime boundaries, a position upheld by the Supreme Court in a landmark ruling delivered in July 2012.
In that judgment, the apex court held that Cross River State, having lost its littoral status following the ceding of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon, could not lay claim to offshore oil wells, as it no longer possessed a maritime boundary. The ruling was widely regarded as final and binding, effectively settling the dispute in favour of Akwa Ibom.
Despite the judgment, Cross River has continued to assert ownership of the oil wells, prompting renewed federal intervention. Recent developments have raised fears in Akwa Ibom that ongoing administrative processes at the federal level could be used to reallocate the oil assets in a manner that undermines the Supreme Court’s decision.
Akwa Ibom and Cross River States belong to the All Progressives Congress (APC), which the aid a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ in ceding the oil wells to the latter.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the official flag off of the plotting phase, the Chairman of RMAFC, Dr Mohammed Bello Shehu, described the exercise as a major milestone in resolving disagreements over the location and ownership of oil and gas wells in the Niger Delta and offshore areas.
Dr Shehu explained that the committee, which comprises the National Boundary Commission, the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and RMAFC, has concluded verification of well coordinates and is now proceeding to the plotting stage that will determine the precise geographical position of each disputed and newly drilled well.
He stressed that the exercise is anchored on constitutional provisions, noting that the 1999 Constitution guarantees the payment of 13 per cent derivation to states where oil and gas are produced.
According to him, ownership will be determined strictly by verified coordinates rather than claims or assumptions, adding that in situations where wells fall along shared boundaries, resources may be jointly administered in line with existing regulations.
Dr Shehu assured all affected states of RMAFC’s neutrality and transparency, emphasizing that the process would be guided by the principles of justice, equity and fairness.
He stated that the inter agency committee conducted extensive fieldwork between September 2025 and January 2026, covering creeks, offshore locations and high seas, with the active participation of Surveyors General and representatives of the affected states. In hard to reach areas, drone technology was deployed to capture accurate coordinates.
Also speaking, the Secretary to the Commission, Joseph Okechukwu Nwaze, described the exercise as the product of strong inter agency collaboration, expressing confidence that its successful completion would further strengthen public trust in RMAFC as a fair and impartial institution.
Similarly, the Director of the Crude Oil Department at RMAFC, Dr Khadija Kumo, said the exercise represents the most comprehensive verification of oil well coordinates ever undertaken by the commission. She noted that the current plotting phase is being carried out transparently in the presence of officials from the affected states.
She expressed optimism that the openness of the process would ensure wide acceptance of its outcome.
The Coordinator of the Inter Agency Technical Committee, Prince Folorunsho Aderinwala, commended the leadership of RMAFC for providing the institutional support that enabled the committee to successfully conclude its assignment.
As the plotting exercise continues, expectations remain high in Cross River State that the findings will finally resolve the protracted oil well dispute and reposition the state to fully benefit from its offshore resources.
