Cross River awaits justice on disputed oil wells

By Our Correspondent

Cross River State is still awaiting justice after losing trillions of naira following the transfer of disputed oil wells to Akwa Ibom State, a neighbouring state.

The state’s position has been reinforced by a recent report of the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) set up by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), which indicated that Cross River is entitled to the 13 per cent derivation revenue from the affected wells.

The IATC was established to verify the coordinates of disputed oil and gas fields, as well as newly drilled wells, across Nigeria’s Niger Delta region from 2017 to December 2025.

In its recommendations, the committee stated that Akwa Ibom State should refund the 13 per cent derivation revenue it had received from the 119 oil wells.

It said: “The 119 crude oil and gas wells attributed to Cross River State prior to the exercise were benefited from by Akwa Ibom State. As such, Akwa Ibom State should refund to Cross River State the 13% derivation revenue enjoyed from the 119 oil and gas wells in the form of arrears.”

Commenting on the report, the state governor, Bassey Otu, said the IATC findings have refuted the long-held belief that Cross River lost its littoral status after Nigeria ceded the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon on August 14, 2008.

In February 2026, Otu told a group of journalists on a fact-finding mission in the state that its economic situation had been severely impacted after sacrificing Bakassi and its oil and gas assets for Nigeria to achieve peace.

“Today, we bear the scars, and we believe it is time to change that,” Otu said before the journalists embarked on a boat trip to view oil platforms and coastal communities.

“To say the least, we are not even asking for more; we are simply asking for what is rightfully ours. It is Cross River State today; it could be any other state tomorrow.”

On his part, Mohammed Shehu, chairman of RMAFC, said in a February statement that the document remains a draft.

“Consistent with established protocol, the draft document has been transmitted to relevant technical and statutory stakeholders—namely the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Boundary Commission (NBC), and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation—for detailed review, observations, and technical input,” he said.

He added that the final report would be submitted to the President after further vetting by relevant committees, including those on crude oil, gas and investment, and legal matters.

The RMAFC also expressed confidence in the competence of its members, including Khadija Kumo, Director of the Crude Oil Department at RMAFC, who chaired the 13-member IATC inaugurated on June 18, 2025, by the RMAFC Secretary, Joseph Nwaze.

Other members of the committee include Peter Inyabri (vice chairman), Aderinwale Folorunso (secretary and coordinator), Bulus Emmanuel (NBC), Semiu Ayinde (Office of the Surveyor-General), Jenifer Ekhekide (NUPRC), Azubuike Chinweikpe (Office of the Surveyor-General), Ahmed Hamza (RMAFC), Mukailu Mohammed (NBC), and Aisha Musa (NUPRC). Umar Kulo, Badamasi Muhammad, and Stayford Eyineje served in the secretariat.

Before the commencement of its work, the RMAFC chairman had assured all parties of fairness while declaring open the coordinate verification exercise on September 22, 2025, in Asaba.

On the methodology used, the report explained that the first phase involved verifying coordinates submitted by the NUPRC. Physical verification was deemed necessary, as the committee observed that the NUPRC was not the primary source of the data and that the information could not be entirely relied upon.

“Any variation in coordinates could significantly affect plotting outcomes. Consequently, the exercise emphasised empirical data collection to ensure accuracy and minimise disputes upon completion,” the report stated.

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