•Set to pursue political solutions
Fresh developments have emerged in the protracted dispute over the ownership of 76 offshore oil wells between Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State, as the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has formally discarded the report of its Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC), effectively halting a process that had raised expectations of a possible reallocation of oil assets.
The latest decision, taken at the Commission’s 186th plenary, its highest decision-making body, signals a significant policy shift from a purely technical determination of oil well ownership to a politically mediated resolution framework.
The development was confirmed by Imo E. Akpan, a Federal Commissioner representing Akwa Ibom State at RMAFC, who disclosed, in a private interaction with WatchmanPost on Tuesday, that the Commission had not only set aside the IATC findings, but had also resolved to initiate a fresh exercise while advancing recommendations to the Presidency for a political solution.
According to Akpan, “the Commission has made detailed recommendations to Mr President to address the concerns of Cross River through the instrumentality of a political solution,” adding that the Commission has also restated its position not to interfere in matters already determined by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Collapse of technical expectations
The IATC report, submitted to RMAFC in February 2026, had generated nationwide attention following findings that appeared to favour Cross River State.
The committee reportedly verified 119 crude oil and gas wells attributable to Cross River and recommended that the state be entitled to the constitutionally mandated 13 per cent derivation revenue from those wells.
More controversially, the report proposed that Akwa Ibom State refund derivation revenues previously received from the disputed wells, an assertion that, if upheld, would have had far-reaching fiscal and political implications.
The report further challenged longstanding assumptions that Cross River lost its littoral status following the cession of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon after the 2008 Bakassi Peninsula handover, thereby reopening debates on maritime boundaries and resource control.
These findings had strengthened the position of Cross River authorities, with Governor Bassey Otu publicly advocating for the restoration of the state’s economic rights, citing years of fiscal losses and developmental setbacks.
Meanwhile, the IATC, chaired by Khadija Kumo, was said to have deployed advanced geospatial technologies in its verification process, including Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), drone-based mapping, and ArcGIS-based spatial analysis.
The committee conducted both physical coordinate verification and digital plotting, producing what it described as a new, empirically validated map of oil and gas well locations across affected states.
The exercise also incorporated inputs from key federal agencies such as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the National Boundary Commission, and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, alongside security support from the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The committee had anchored its work on existing legal frameworks, including the 2012 Supreme Court judgement in Suit No. SC.250/2009, which held that derivation revenues should accrue to states within whose maritime territories the oil wells are located.
Legal constraints and policy reversal
Despite the technical depth of the IATC exercise, RMAFC’s decision to discard the report underscores the primacy of legal and constitutional constraints in the dispute.
Akwa Ibom State has consistently relied on two Supreme Court judgements affirming its ownership of the disputed wells, arguing that it shares maritime boundaries with Cameroon, not Cross River, and that the apex court’s decisions remain binding.
By reiterating its non-interference stance regarding Supreme Court rulings, RMAFC has effectively invalidated any technical conclusions that could contradict existing judicial pronouncements.
This position was earlier hinted at by the Commission’s Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, who had described the IATC submission as a “draft” and cautioned against premature interpretations suggesting a transfer of oil wells.
Shift to political resolution
With the technical pathway now suspended, attention has shifted to the Presidency, where Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to play a central role in mediating the dispute.
Sources indicate that both states have already engaged in high-level negotiations, including meetings facilitated by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
A joint technical committee established by the two states is also said to be exploring mutually acceptable terms.
The move toward political resolution reflects the complexity of the dispute, which intersects legal precedents, geospatial ambiguities, historical treaties, and national security considerations, particularly in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
Implications for Cross River
For Cross River State, the rejection of the IATC report represents a major setback. The report had rekindled hopes of regaining oil-producing status and recovering significant revenue streams lost over the years.
State officials and stakeholders have argued that the economic consequences of losing the oil wells include stalled infrastructure development, job losses, and reduced fiscal capacity.
The latest development, however, suggests that any redress will now depend less on technical validation and more on political negotiation.
The RMAFC’s decision therefore highlights a broader institutional dilemma in resource governance, balancing empirical, data-driven assessments with entrenched legal frameworks and political realities.
As the Federal Government moves toward a political settlement, the outcome will likely set a precedent for resolving similar inter-state resource disputes in Nigeria, where questions of boundary delineation and derivation revenue continue to generate tension.
For now, the discarding of the IATC report marks a decisive turning point, one that tempers Cross River’s renewed optimism while reinforcing Akwa Ibom’s legally backed claims, even as both states await a final resolution from the Presidency.
