…says discussions on disputed Island with Gov. Dapo Abiodun were cordial

…reveals that FG gives license to oil companies to drill in Ondo

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has affirmed that Eba Island is part of Ondo State, stressing that the state is not in conflict with Ogun State over the oil deposits in the area.

Speaking with selected journalists at the Government House in Akure, in an interview monitored live by The Nation, Aiyedatiwa said discussions around Eba Island were focused on accurately determining the location of the oil assets, not on ownership.

He emphasised that Ondo State maintains that the disputed Eba Island falls within its territorial boundary in the Ilaje Local Government Area.

Aiyedatiwa added that the state has no objection to oil exploration in the area, provided activities are properly licensed by the Federal Government.

“What we are saying is that the location must be clearly defined – the state and the host community. This place belongs to Ondo State and not Ogun State.

“If Ogun has an oil exploration company, they can drill in any part of the country. If they are drilling in Ondo State, let them drill. The government gives licences to oil companies to drill and we have different oil wells being drilled in Ondo state.

“They can drill from Eba if the government gives them a licence. Security agencies will protect the oil assets. We are not at war and we are not in conflict. What we are saying is that the place belongs to Ondo State and nothing more,” the governor said.

The governor specifically noted that oil assets and wells in the country belong to the Federal government, stating that their location must be clearly established to determine the benefiting state and host communities.

He said: “The first thing we need to know is that every oil asset or well belongs to the Federal Government and it is on the exclusive list, but it must be defined that it is located in a particular state and a particular community.

“Host communities and oil-producing states benefit through derivation and other entitlements. What the discussions and write-ups are meant to establish is the location, not the ownership of the asset.”

The governor explained that the state had continued to provide information to relevant authorities to clarify the geographical location of the island.

He added that documents and historical records were being presented to the National Boundary Commission to enable it to verify claims and make appropriate decisions.

“We need to provide information to the public and also to the Boundary Commission so that they can verify some of these documents and statements before they make certain decisions on location,” the governor said.

Aiyedatiwa noted that the issue had not created any confrontation between him and his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun, describing their discussions on the matter as cordial.

According to him, Abiodun sometimes jokingly expressed interest in Ogun State becoming an oil-producing state.

“Sometimes he (Dapo Abiodun) says jokingly that I should allow them to have this oil well too so they can also be part of oil-producing states,” he said.

The governor maintained that the location of mineral resources is determined by nature and not by human decisions.

“It is God’s deposit. We are not the ones that put the mineral resources there. It is nature from God and it is located in a place. From what you have read, you will find out that the place belongs to Ondo State and there are no two ways about it,” he said.

Recall that the Ogun state government had reaffirmed its territorial jurisdiction over the disputed Eba Island in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area and dismissed claims of its ownership by its Ondo state counterpart.

The controversy surrounding the ownership of the Eba Islands begun following the 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.

The Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Mr Kayode Akinmade, said the Eba Island where the approved oil well is located falls squarely within Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Akinmade’s position was also backed by the traditional rulers and leaders of Ogun Waterside Local Government who have declared that the oil-rich Eba Island, site of the newly-approved commercial oil drilling project, is part of Ogun state.

But in a counterpart statement, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the state, Kayode Ajulo, SAN, insisted that the disputed Eba Island belongs to Ondo State.

In a statement, Ajulo described the renewed dispute as “astonishing,” noting that historical and administrative records recognise the island as part of Ondo State.

“I speak as one who has served Ondo State with distinction and has seen firsthand the recognition of Eba Island as part of our territory.

“The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and other federal agencies visited the island on multiple occasions and without equivocation, recognised it as belonging to Ondo State. Yet, today, Ogun State lays claim to it. What has changed?

“I undertook a solo forensic study in the United Kingdom, consulting the British Library, the National Archives at Kew and other repositories of colonial records. I examined original treaties, maps, intelligence sketches, cadastral surveys and gazette notices. Each document confirmed that Eba Island is an integral part of Atijere in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State,” he said. (The Nation)