The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission has urged oil-producing states to fully cooperate in the ongoing exercise to resolve disputes over oil and gas wells by plotting verified coordinates.
Chairman of the commission, Mohammed Shehu, made the call on Monday in Abuja at the flag-off of the plotting of coordinates of disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells, covering affected oil-producing states from January 26 to 30, 2026.
Shehu said active participation by the states was critical to ensuring that the outcome of the exercise was accepted by all parties.
“It is in respect of this development that I urge the representatives of the affected oil-producing states to actively participate while plotting the verified coordinates, so that the outcome would be acceptable to all,” he said.
He assured the states that the commission would remain impartial throughout the process.
“I want to assure the affected parties that the commission will be an unbiased umpire and will deploy justice, equity and fairness for which it is known,” Shehu added.
The RMAFC chairman explained that the exercise was rooted in the commission’s constitutional mandate to oversee revenue accruals and disbursement from the Federation Account, including the equitable distribution of the 13 per cent derivation fund to oil- and gas-producing states.
“As you may be aware, the commission is empowered by Paragraph 32(a) of Part I of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to monitor accruals to and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account.
“By virtue of this, the commission is empowered to ensure that the 13 per cent derivation fund is disbursed equitably among oil- and gas-producing states,” he said.
Shehu said the commission had, in line with this mandate, inaugurated an Inter-Agency Technical Committee comprising the National Boundary Commission, the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and RMAFC.
According to him, the committee was tasked with verifying and plotting the coordinates of disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells in the affected states.
He noted that the committee had completed the verification stage and was moving to the plotting phase, which would determine the precise location of disputed wells and attribute newly drilled wells to their rightful owners.
“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 attributing the newly drilled oil and gas wells to the rightful owners,” Shehu said.
He also expressed appreciation to oil-producing states for their cooperation during the verification phase of the committee’s assignment and thanked stakeholders for their support of the process.
Also speaking, the Director of the Crude Oil Department at RMAFC, Dr Khadija Kumo, provided operational details of the exercise, describing it as the most comprehensive verification of oil well coordinates undertaken by the commission.
Kumo said the National Boundary Commission provided base maps, while the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation was responsible for plotting the coordinates, with RMAFC coordinating the process alongside surveyor generals from oil-producing states.
“As my honourable chairman said, we went to the field in September 2025, and we finished this work in December.
“We went to deep offshore. We were on the water for about 11 to 12 hours in some areas. It was not an experience you would want to go through, but we considered it a national assignment,” she said.
She explained that the exercise covered disputed wells, newly created wells and cases where oil wells were shared between two or even three states.
According to her, any state that submitted complaints was visited, and coordinates were requested and verified on the ground.
“This particular exercise is important because it is the first time we are verifying the coordinates,” Kumo said. “Previously, indications were just collected, but this time around, we decided to go to the field to verify that what was actually given is what is available.”
She added that the current plotting exercise, which runs from Monday to Friday, was being conducted in the presence of surveyor generals and commissioners from the affected states to ensure transparency.
“It is going to be as transparent as possible. We are in the digital age, so there is nothing you can manipulate.
“As my honourable chairman said, the commission is known for equity, justice and fairness, and we hope the outcome will be accepted by all,” Kumo said.
A schedule obtained by The PUNCH at the event showed that the exercise, which runs from January 26 to 30, 2026, will be conducted in phases, with different groups of states appearing on specific days.
Overall, the states captured in the plotting schedule include Edo, Delta, Ondo, Anambra, Imo, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross River, all of which are affected by disputed or newly drilled oil and gas wells.
On the first day of the exercise, Edo and Delta states, as well as Ondo and Delta states were listed for the plotting of coordinates.
The second day will involve Anambra and Delta states, alongside Anambra and Imo states.
According to the schedule, Rivers State will feature prominently on the third day, with plotting exercises involving Rivers and Imo states, as well as Rivers and Bayelsa states.
The fourth day will cover Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, in addition to Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.
The final day of the exercise has been reserved for a general review and closing by the Inter-Agency Technical Committee.