The Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has formally received the final report of the Federal Government’s Inter-Agency Committee on Nigeria’s Oil-Producing States, with Cross River State prominently projected to be re-listed as an oil-producing state.

The submission, made on Friday, February 13, 2026, at about 3:00 pm, marks what observers describe as a watershed moment in Nigeria’s fiscal federalism architecture and a potential economic renaissance for Cross River.

The report, covering the 2017–2025 nationwide verification of crude oil and gas coordinates, was presented to the Chairman of RMAFC, Mr. M. B. Shehu, by 10 members of the 14-man committee. The exercise, which ran from August 2025 to February 2026, involved extensive field verification, technical reconciliation of state submissions, and a final plenary plotting of coordinates at RMAFC headquarters between January 24 and 31, 2026. An independent media source monitoring proceedings at the Chairman’s office confirmed the submission and described it as “the most comprehensive coordinated verification undertaken in recent years.”

Commending the committee, Shehu reportedly described the assignment as “rigorous, technical and nationally significant,” adding that the painstaking verification of over 1,000 crude oil and gas coordinates across Nigeria demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency and accuracy in revenue attribution.

“This was not a desk exercise,” he was quoted as saying. “It involved physical verification, hydrographic validation, boundary reconciliation and security-backed confirmations across multiple states.”

The committee, according to an insider source, “reflected a broad institutional collaboration. It comprised representatives from RMAFC, the National Boundary Commission (NBC), the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGoF), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Nigerian Hydrographic Agency, and relevant security agencies. Their mandate was clear: scientifically determine the precise location of oil and gasassets within Nigeria’s onshore and offshore boundaries.”

Over a six-month period, the team visited more than 12 states, including Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Imo, Anambra, Abia and Cross River. In the process, they verified over 1,000 new crude oil and gas coordinates based on confirmed onshore and offshore reservoir data. Findings from the report indicate that nearly all oil-producing states stand to benefit from new oil well attributions arising from the verified coordinates.

Several longstanding boundary overlaps were resolved through shared attributions, including Rivers–Akwa Ibom, Delta–Edo, Delta–Ondo, Imo–Rivers, Imo–Anambra and Akwa Ibom–Cross River. Sources familiar with the deliberations disclosed that “where geological reservoirs straddle boundaries, equity and technical evidence guided shared attributions rather than political considerations.”

Significantly for Cross River, technical projections in the report place the state in a strong position to regain oil-producing status with more than 100 producing oil wells from verified onshore and offshore reservoir coordinates—particularly from OML 114 located within its maritime territory. For the first time since 2008, Cross River is projected to be officially enlisted again as an oil-producing state, a development widely seen as vindication of years of advocacy and scientific revalidation.

Although Cross River submitted the highest number of surface coordinates—over 245—the implications of the 2012 Supreme Court judgment are expected to retain 76 oil wells in Akwa Ibom State pending further judicial interpretation. Even with these deductions, sources close to the verification process maintain that Cross River’s geological evidence was “compelling, empirical and beyond reasonable doubt.” One senior official was quoted as saying, “The science speaks for itself. The reservoirs do not lie. The coordinates verified clearly establish Cross River’s producing status.”

An Abuja-based fiscal expert noted, “is to separate administrative attribution from geological reality, and Cross River emerges strongly from that distinction.”

He noted that in May 2024, Cross River had earlier benefited from an Inter-Agency Committee report attributing 67 oil wells from OML 114 to the state, though implementation did not follow at the time. Fast forward to 2025, the state reportedly adopted a more robust scientific and geological framework, reinforcing its submissions with hydrographic and reservoir data that proved decisive in the latest verification.

The RMAFC Chairman is expecting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent for the implementation of the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC). Upon presidential approval for implementation, the RMAFC Board of Commissioners will convene a plenary session to approve the operational framework for implementing the new attributions and updating Nigeria’s official list of oil-producing states.

For Cross River, stakeholders say the development represents not merely administrative recognition, but “a restoration of economic justice, constitutional equity and historical truth.” (Nigerian Tribune)

• PHOTO: Members of the Federal Government Inter-Agency Technical Committee during the Geophysical Survey

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