State won’t be shortchanged, Otu declares  
Akwa Ibom State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, has faulted media reports suggesting that the 76 oil wells legally owned by the state following two Supreme Court judgments may be returned to Cross River State, denying that anything has been ceded.
 
According to the reports, the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission (RMFC) had projected Cross River State to be re-listed as an oil-producing state after receiving the final report of the Federal Government’s Inter-Agency Committee on oil-producing states.
 
The committee’s mandate was to determine, scientifically, the precise location of oil and gas assets within Nigeria’s onshore and offshore boundaries.

Speaking during a media interaction held at the Government House Conference Hall on Monday, the commissioner said the state had reviewed the report and restated the facts to prevent misinformation and deliberate distortion of constitutional realities.
 
Udom clarified that the Commission has publicly restated that what it received on February 13, 2026, is a draft report, not a decision, not an approved recommendation, and certainly not a reallocation of oil wells.
 
According to him, the Commission has described the circulating claims as speculative and not reflective of any final position.

“Akwa Ibom State Government has carefully reviewed recent media reports suggesting that oil wells attributed to Akwa Ibom State may be ‘returned’ to Cross River State following the submission of a ‘report’ by a Federal Government Inter-Agency Committee to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

MEANWHILE, Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, yesterday, declared that the state would no longer be denied its rightful place in Nigeria.
 
Otu made the declaration at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, upon his return from Abuja, while addressing Cross Riverians comprising government officials, political support groups, youths, and market women, who came out to welcome him back to Calabar.
 
Addressing journalists and supporters shortly after his arrival, Otu thanked the people of the state for their prayers and steadfast support, describing their solidarity as the driving force behind his administration’s resolve.

Reflecting on the sacrifices made by Cross River in the interest of national unity, including the ceding of Bakassi for peace, the governor insisted that fairness and justice must prevail.
 
“The ceding of part of Bakassi was for the peace of the country. It was not for Cross River State to lose its oil well. We are full-fledged Nigerians. Nobody can deny us our rights. And that time has come,” Otu said.
 
The governor reaffirmed that the state would continue to forge ahead under his “People First” agenda, assuring residents that Cross River’s future remains bright and unstoppable.