The Federal Government has begun the plotting of the disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells.
The Chairman, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, announced this while addressing members of the press during the flag off ceremony held at the headquarters of the Commission in Abuja.
The Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) which was inaugurated by the RMAFC to verify the coordinates of the disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells had completed the exercise and the next step is the plotting of the coordinates, he said.
He added: “The Commission inaugurated an Inter Agency Technical Committee (IATC) which comprises of the National Boundary Commission (NBC), the Office of the Surveyor General of Federation (OSGoF), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and RMAFC and saddled it with the responsibilities of verifying and plotting coordinates of the disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells of the affected oil producing States, the IATC has verified the coordinates and the next phase is to plot the coordinates which would lead to resolving the location of the disputed oil and gas wells as well as attribute the newly drilled oil and gas wells to the rightful owners.”
He added:“The Constitution provides that 13 per cent of revenue from minerals, especially crude oil and gas, should be paid to the states where they are produced, this is why the verification and plotting of coordinates of the new and disputed oil and gas wells is not optional, but a constitutional obligation.”
According to him, the exercise cuts across all oil-producing states, including Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Ondo, Rivers, Delta, and offshore locations. He observed that disputes often arise whenever new oil fields come on stream, as multiple states may lay claim to them, he however stressed that it is the facts on ground that will reveal who actually owns what, and if ownership has to be shared between states.
“We went to the field ourselves, and where we could not physically access, we deployed drones to take the coordinates,” he said, Dr. Bello added that all data collected were witnessed by representatives of the affected states.
He assured stakeholders that the Commission would remain impartial throughout the process. Dr. Shehu said, “RMAFC will be an unbiased umpire and will deploy justice, equity, and fairness for which it is known.” He expressed confidence that the outcome of the exercise would significantly reduce disputes and strengthen trust in the derivation process.
In his address, the Secretary to the Commission, Joseph Okechukwu Nwaze, described the exercise as a product of commitment to duty and healthy inter-agency cooperation. He said the successful completion of the exercise would reinforce confidence in RMAFC’s role as a neutral institution committed to fairness in revenue administration and fiscal federalism.
She noted that beyond gross energy flow, attention must now shift to efficiency and the role of oil and gas in supporting the wider economy.
She also commended the technical team and participating states for their collaboration and urged continued engagement to ensure sustainable, data-driven decision-making in the sector.
