The Federal Government has commenced the demarcation of disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells as part of efforts to resolve ownership claims and ensure accurate revenue allocation to oil-producing states.

The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Dr Mohammed Bello Shehu, disclosed this during a flag-off ceremony at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

He said the exercise follows the completion of verification work by the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC), which was inaugurated to ascertain the precise locations of disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells.

According to Dr Shehu, the committee, comprising the National Boundary Commission (NBC), the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGoF), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and RMAFC, has completed the verification phase and is now proceeding to plot the coordinates.

“The IATC has verified the coordinates and the next phase is to plot them. This will resolve the location of disputed oil and gas wells and attribute newly drilled wells to their rightful owners,” he said.

In a statement, Head of the Information and Public Relations Unit, RMAFC, Maryam Umar Yusuf, quoted the chairman as saying that the exercise is constitutionally mandated to ensure oil-producing states receive their statutory 13 per cent derivation revenue from crude oil and gas resources.

“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 verification and plotting exercise is therefore not optional, but a constitutional obligation,” he stated.

The exercise covers all oil-producing states, including Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Ondo, Rivers, and Delta, as well as offshore locations. The RMAFC chairman noted that disputes often arise when new oil fields come on stream, as multiple states may lay claim to them, but said factual technical data would determine ownership, including cases where resources may be jointly shared.

To ensure transparency and credibility, RMAFC conducted extensive fieldwork between September 2025 and January 2026 across creeks, high seas, and offshore terrains. Surveyors-general from the affected states accompanied the exercise, and where physical access was not possible, drones were deployed to capture accurate coordinates, with all data witnessed by state representatives.

He assured stakeholders that RMAFC would remain impartial throughout the process, stressing that the Commission would uphold justice, equity, and fairness.

He expressed confidence that the outcome would significantly reduce disputes and strengthen trust in the derivation revenue framework, and commended members of the crude oil and gas monitoring committees, including Honourables Hakeem Amosu and Rabiu Garba, for their support, which contributed to the success of the exercise.

Earlier, the Secretary to the Commission, Joseph Okechukwu Nwaze, described the initiative as a product of strong inter-agency collaboration and commitment to fiscal transparency, noting that it would reinforce confidence in RMAFC’s neutrality in revenue administration.

In her remarks, the Director of the Crude Oil Department, Dr Khadija Kumo, said the exercise was timely and critical to the future of Nigeria’s energy governance, urging sustained engagement to support data-driven decision-making in the sector.

The Coordinator of the Inter-Agency Technical Committee, Prince Folorunsho Aderinwala, praised the RMAFC leadership for providing the necessary support for the successful execution of the project.

The verification exercise was initially flagged off in October 2025 in the Niger Delta region, following petitions from several state governors, including those of Anambra, Delta, Imo, Edo, Ondo, and Rivers, seeking clarity on ownership and boundary disputes over oil and gas resources.

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