As the Federal Government commences plotting for disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells in the country, expectations are high in Cross River and Edo states, considering that the findings will finally resolve the protracted oil well dispute and reposition the states to fully benefit from their offshore resources.

The exercise, which is expected to bring final clarity to long-standing ownership disputes and determine the rightful beneficiaries of derivation revenue, is being coordinated by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) after the successful completion of field verification by an Inter-Agency Technical Committee set up to address disputes among oil-producing states, including Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Edo and Ondo.

Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the official flag-off of the plotting phase, Chairman of RMAFC, Dr Mohammed Bello Shehu, described the exercise as a decisive milestone in resolving disagreements over the location and ownership of oil and gas wells in the Niger Delta and offshore areas.

Dr Shehu explained that the committee, comprising the National Boundary Commission, the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and RMAFC, has concluded verification of well coordinates and is now proceeding to the plotting stage, which will determine the precise geographical position of each disputed and newly drilled well.

He emphasised that the exercise is anchored on constitutional provisions, noting that the 1999 Constitution guarantees the payment of 13 per cent derivation to states where oil and gas are produced.

According to him, ownership will be determined strictly by verified coordinates rather than claims or assumptions, adding that in cases where wells fall along shared boundaries, resources may be jointly administered in line with established regulations.

For Cross River State, the development has rekindled hope that years of uncertainty surrounding its offshore oil assets, estimated at about 76 oil wells, may soon be resolved, potentially unlocking long-awaited derivation revenue.

Dr Shehu assured Cross River, Edo states and all affected states of RMAFC’s neutrality and transparency, stressing that the process would be guided solely by the principles of justice, equity and fairness.

He disclosed that the inter-agency committee conducted extensive fieldwork between September 2025 and January 2026, covering creeks, offshore locations and high seas, with the active participation of Surveyors-General and representatives of the affected states. In hard-to-reach areas, drone technology was deployed to capture accurate coordinates.