FG plots disputed oil, gas wells to resolve ownership claims

Barbara Bako, Abuja.

The Federal Government has started plotting the coordinates of disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells as part of efforts to settle ownership disputes and improve revenue derivation for oil-producing states.

The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu OFR, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a press briefing at the Commission’s headquarters to flag off the exercise.

Dr. Shehu said the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) set up by RMAFC to verify the coordinates of disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells had completed its verification work and was proceeding to the plotting phase.

He said, “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,” the RMAFC boss added.

The RMAFC Chairman said the exercise was critical to safeguarding constitutional revenue entitlements of oil-producing states, noting that the Constitution mandates a 13 per cent derivation from mineral revenues to host states.

“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,” he said.

According to Dr. Shehu, the exercise covers all oil-producing states, including Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Ondo, Rivers and Delta, as well as offshore locations.

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He explained that disputes typically arise when new oil fields are developed, as more than one state may lay claim to ownership.

He noted that the outcome of the exercise would determine the rightful ownership of oil and gas assets and clarify cases where ownership may be shared between states.

To enhance transparency and credibility, Dr. Shehu said extensive fieldwork was carried out between September 2025 and January 2026 across creeks, offshore terrains and high seas, in collaboration with Surveyors-General of the affected states.

“We went to the field ourselves, and where we could not physically access, we deployed drones to take the coordinates,” he said, adding that representatives of the affected states witnessed the data collection process.

He assured stakeholders of the Commission’s neutrality, stating, “RMAFC will be an unbiased umpire and will deploy justice, equity, and fairness for which it is known.”

Dr. Shehu expressed confidence that the exercise would reduce disputes in the oil and gas sector and strengthen investor confidence in the derivation and revenue-sharing framework.

Earlier, the Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Joseph Okechukwu Nwaze, said the exercise reflected strong inter-agency collaboration and commitment to institutional responsibility, adding that it would reinforce confidence in RMAFC’s role in revenue administration and fiscal federalism.

In her remarks, the Director of the Crude Oil Department, RMAFC, Dr. Khadija Kumo, described the exercise as critical to energy governance, noting that attention must now shift towards efficiency and the broader economic impact of oil and gas production.

It will be recalled that in October 2025, RMAFC began the verification of disputed and newly drilled oil and gas fields in the Niger Delta region following petitions from several state governors seeking clarification on ownership and boundary claims.