Ownership of the oil-rich Eba Island has torn the neighbouring Ogun and Ondo State governments apart.

The controversy followed the recent disclosure of President Bola Tinubu’s approval for the commencement of commercial oil exploration at the island, said to border both states.

Governor Dapo Abiodun made the disclosure on penultimate Thursday while receiving the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Mustapha, during a courtesy visit in Abeokuta.

The first controversy emerged after conflicting statements from the government on the location of the drilling operations between Tongeji Island in Ipokia Local Government Area and Eba Island, said to be in Ogun Waterside LGA.

While the first statement quoted Abiodun as saying: “Let me share with you that Mr President has approved the commencement of commercial oil drilling operations at Tongeji Island, and going forward, you will begin to see a lot of activities there.”

The governor also revealed that President Tinubu has approved the immediate take-off of the Olokola Deep Seaport project located in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, marking a major breakthrough after years of anticipation surrounding the multibillion-dollar port development.

According to Governor Abiodun, both projects are of special interest to the President.

He noted that while the Olokola Deep Seaport would significantly decongest the Lagos ports, commercial oil drilling would promote inclusion and economic empowerment for residents of the coastal communities.

A second statement from the government countered the first on the location, saying the oil drilling location approved by the President is Eba in Ogun Waterside LGA.

The government admitted error and blamed it on a press officer who wrote the report that was sent out.

But the Ondo State Government formally rejected Ogun’s ownership claim of Eba Island, describing it as totally unacceptable.

“In this case, the oil deposit in question is situated in Atijere, Ondo State,” Allen Sowore, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication and Strategy, said in a statement on Friday.

Sowore said the landowners are indigenes of Atijere, where they reside, adding that the village has existed since at least 1937, and Eba Island has historically fallen under the Atijere Native Court Authority.

He said, “Historically, Eba Island formed part of Ilaje/Mahin Country in the defunct Lagos Colony under Governor Sir John Hawley Glover prior to the 1914 Amalgamation. Following amalgamation, it became part of the Ondo Province, specifically the Okitipupa Division, and was designated a forestry reserve under the Atijere Native Authority.

“Subsequently, Eba Island was incorporated into the Ilaje District Council around 1950, with Atijere as its headquarters. When Ilaje/Ese-Odo Local Government Area was created in 1975, the island remained under its jurisdiction. Following the creation of Ese-Odo Local Government Area in 1997, Eba Island continued as an integral part of Ilaje Local Government Area, where it remains to this day—still designated as an Ondo State forestry reserve.

“Ogun and Ondo States are distinct entities in the South-West with clearly defined administrative and historical boundaries and a long record of cordial relations. However, recent attempts to misrepresent facts and convey inaccurate information regarding the location of an oil deposit situated within Ondo State—even to federal authorities—are unacceptable.”

According to him, the communities surrounding the oil well—Ago Alaja, Balogun Bode, and Fasuyi—are cluster villages of the Atijere community.

He pointed out that successive Baales and village heads of Balogun Bode and Fasuyi, including the current Baale, Chief Segun Fasuyi, were installed by the Ondo State Government.

“All inhabitants of these communities are indigenes of Ondo State,” he said.

The governor’s spokesman called on the National Boundary Commission and relevant federal agencies to “make available authoritative records and documentary evidence capable of putting an end to these misleading claims and unnecessary public tension.”

The Ondo government assured all indigenous people and residents of the area to remain calm, as the state “will, within the ambit of the law, vigorously defend its territorial integrity, lawful occupation, and administrative authority over Eba Island and its adjoining communities.”

Sowore added, “Finally, Ondo State reaffirms its full cooperation with the Federal Government in the protection of this national asset and in establishing, beyond doubt, the true location of the oil deposit and the territory in which it lies.”

Ogun fires back, warns Ondo against stoking communal tension

Responding in a statement on Sunday, the Ogun State Government reaffirmed what it called its territorial jurisdiction over Eba Island in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, dismissing claims by the Ondo State as misleading and capable of triggering avoidable communal tension.

This is contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade.

Incidentally, Akinmade, an Ondo State-born veteran journalist, was Commissioner for Information during former Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s administration.

In the statement, Akinmade said the Eba Island where the approved oil well is located “falls squarely within Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State.”

According to him, the clarification follows public debates and a motion sponsored by Hon. Donald Kimikanboh Ojogo, representing Ilaje Federal Constituency in Ondo State, after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the commencement of drilling activities at an abandoned oil well located on Eba Island.

He said boundaries between states and local governments in Nigeria are constitutionally defined and properly documented by the National Boundary Commission (NBC), adding that official boundary maps and records clearly situate Eba Island within Ogun State.

He explained that Eba is a long-established community within Ogun Waterside, whose status predates Nigeria’s independence and has remained unchanged through successive political and administrative reorganisations, including the 1976 state creation exercise that carved Ogun State out of the former Western State.

“Since 1976, there has been no constitutional amendment, judicial pronouncement or federal gazette that altered the boundary placing Eba outside Ogun State,” the statement said.

The government clarified that there are two distinct locations known as “Eba.”

He said while one is located near the Ondo State forest reserve, the larger Eba Island—where the oil well approved by the President is situated—lies entirely within Ogun State’s coastal corridor.

Akinmade noted that the presidential approval for drilling followed extensive due diligence by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other relevant federal institutions, all of which confirmed that the oil well is located within Ogun State territory before clearance was granted.

He added that the deployment of national security assets, including naval formations around the drilling site, further demonstrates federal recognition of Ogun State as the host state.

Providing additional context, the statement disclosed that in October 2024, the Molokun of Atijere in Ondo State formally approached the Osobia of Makun-Omi in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, seeking permission to conduct business activities on Eba Island.

“The request was declined and subsequently reported to the Ogun State Government, NNPCL and security agencies,” the statement said.

According to the government, this engagement amounted to a tacit acknowledgment of Ogun State’s jurisdiction over the area.

On historical claims being circulated, the Ogun State Government described reliance on colonial documents from 1919 and 1920 as misleading, pointing instead to Colonial Government Gazette No. 660 of April 29, 1950, which clearly defined the boundary between the former Ijebu and Ondo Provinces and superseded earlier notices.

The government also cited lease agreements, historical community records and survey documents—including the Olokola Free Trade Zone Survey Plan—as further evidence establishing Eba Island as part of Ogun State.

“Administrative validation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also referenced, with the polling unit at LA Primary School, Eba, officially registered under Makun/Irokun Ward in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State,” the statement read.

Akinmade said that following the discovery of hydrocarbon prospects in the coastal corridor, the Ogun State Government conducted independent verification of the well coordinates using geospatial and cartographic technology, which confirmed that the wells are located within Ogun State boundaries.

He added that Ogun State has worked closely with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and NNPCL in securing the asset and preparing it for commercial exploration, including facilitating the establishment of naval security infrastructure in the area.

The Ondo-born Akinmade cautioned his state against the “spread of misinformation and inflammatory narratives.”

The Ogun Government called for restraint and responsible engagement by all parties.

“The facts are clear and the law is settled. Eba Island where the approved oil well is located is in Ogun State,” the statement concluded. (Daily Trust)