By Kingsley Agim
The recent decision by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to reopen the verification of disputed and newly discovered oil and gas wells has renewed Cross River State’s hope of reclaiming its place among Nigeria’s oil-producing states, with the fresh exercise expected to subject the state’s longstanding claims to another round of technical scrutiny.
The development follows the commission’s decision to discard its earlier draft verification report after receiving claims, counterclaims and complaints from affected states, particularly over the coordinates and locations of disputed and newly drilled wells. RMAFC has consequently inaugurated a reconstituted Inter-Agency Technical Committee to verify the wells drilled from 2017 to date, a development that could have significant implications for Cross River’s long-running oil-producing status campaign.
For Cross River, the reopening is significant because the location of producing wells is central to determining which states qualify for the 13 per cent derivation revenue. RMAFC Chairman, Dr Mohammed Bello Shehu, said the new exercise was intended to ensure fairness in the distribution of derivation revenue and directed the committee to ensure that the coordinates, maps and boundaries used in the process reflect “the actual situation on ground.”
That directive places the technical question of location at the heart of Cross River’s case. The State has consistently argued that its exclusion from Nigeria’s oil-producing states does not correspond with the petroleum resources within areas it claims. Its position has been built around historical exploration, geological evidence, existing petroleum assets and claims concerning newer wells, while disputes over boundaries and attribution have kept the matter unresolved.
This is where the expression “coordinates do not lie” assumes particular significance. Unlike political arguments, coordinates can be plotted, examined against approved maps and subjected to independent technical verification. If disputed wells are established to be located within areas legally attributable to Cross River, such evidence could strengthen the state’s claim to derivation status. If the coordinates point elsewhere, the same exercise should establish that fact.
Cross River’s petroleum history stretches back decades. In Mbiabo Ikot Offiong in Odukpani Local Government Area, more than 30 exploration wells drilled and capped by Shell in the late 1950s were reportedly identified in 2023, reviving attention to the state’s long history of petroleum exploration. Local accounts indicated that seismic exploration at the time revealed substantial gas potential but comparatively less oil, at a period when crude oil was the industry’s dominant focus.
According to reports on the discovery, two oil fields, OPL 2020 around Ikot Offiong and OPL 2021 extending from Adiabo towards Akpabuyo, were subsequently registered on the Nigerian Oil Concession Map in 2018. The development added another layer to the argument that Cross River’s petroleum potential could not be assessed solely through the lens of its historical production record.
The state’s petroleum claim also extends offshore, particularly around the Cross River estuary and assets associated with OML 114. The Abana field, which is linked to the block, has featured in discussions about the petroleum resources and oil-well attribution in the area. The offshore dimension is especially important because some of the disputes involving Cross River centre on whether particular wells fall within areas attributable to the state under the applicable legal and technical framework.
The state government intensified its campaign in 2026, saying it had submitted evidence relating to 245 oil wells to the Presidency, RMAFC, the National Boundary Commission, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation. According to the state, the submission was supported by scientific, geological and legal evidence. The claim, however, remains subject to the federal verification process now being reopened by RMAFC.
Earlier in the year, reports of a federal inter-agency verification exercise generated expectations in Cross River that the state could return to the oil-producing league. A February report said the committee had completed a verification exercise covering oil and gas coordinates from 2017 to 2025 and had projected Cross River for a return to oil-producing status. That expectation has since been tempered by RMAFC’s decision to discard the earlier draft and commence another verification exercise.
The new process is expected to be more rigorous, with technical officers and subject-matter experts drawn from RMAFC, the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, the National Boundary Commission and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. The technical team is to undertake field inspections and analysis, while the executive tier of the commission will provide oversight before the findings are presented for formal consideration. RMAFC has also indicated that relevant court decisions will be taken into account.
The Cross River-Akwa Ibom dimension adds another layer to the exercise. Both states have maintained competing positions over the attribution of certain oil assets, while previous judicial decisions and questions surrounding maritime boundaries remain part of the wider legal background. RMAFC’s instruction that the new committee consider court decisions, approved maps and physical evidence means that the outcome will ultimately depend on how these different strands of evidence are reconciled.
For Cross River, therefore, the reopening represents neither a declaration of victory nor a fresh setback. It is another opportunity for the State’s claims to be tested against technical evidence. Its historical wells, newer discoveries, offshore assets, geological records and disputed coordinates will once again face federal scrutiny. The State’s argument is essentially that whatever the historical allocations may have shown, the actual location of the wells should provide the clearest answer.
The stakes are considerable. Confirmation of oil-producing status would have implications for Cross River’s access to derivation revenue and could renew attention to petroleum assets that have remained dormant or underdeveloped for decades. Yet, beyond the fiscal implications, the renewed exercise offers the State an opportunity to place its claim firmly on verifiable evidence.
With increasingly sophisticated geospatial data, precise coordinates, geological records and other technical evidence now available, there is renewed hope in Cross River that the facts will speak for themselves and that the State will ultimately reclaim its rightful place on Nigeria’s map of oil-producing states.
