•Stakeholders, journalists on fact-finding missions near the Bakassi Peninsula
By Onochie Anibeze
The recent recommendations on oil and gas wells in the Niger Delta by a panel set up by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) have given fresh momentum to the long-running dispute over oil wells involving Cross River and Akwa Ibom states . For Governor Bassey Otu, the report has not just reopened an old conversation, it has reignited what he describes as a fight for justice.
For Cross River, the story goes back to the painful aftermath of the Bakassi Peninsula saga. When Nigeria ceded Bakassi to Cameroon in 2002 following the ruling of the International Court of Justice, the ripple effects were enormous. In the course of boundary adjustments that followed, 76 oil wells were ceded to Akwa Ibom State, leaving Cross River with none.
The matter eventually went to court, but in 2012 the Supreme Court ruled that the 76 oil wells belonged to Akwa Ibom State. Legally, that seemed to close the chapter. But Cross River has never quite shut the book on the matter. The state now hopes the Supreme Court might review its judgment, arguing that the earlier ruling was based on wrong information.
Fresh fuel for that argument may have come from the January 2026 report of the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) on the verification of more than 1,000 oil and gas wells across Nigeria. The committee was set up in 2025 to resolve disputes affecting the 13 per cent derivation revenue allocated to oil-producing states under the constitution.
The committee brought together representatives from the RMAFC, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Boundary Commission (NBC), and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGoF), a team that combined fiscal experts, regulators, boundary specialists and surveyors.
Their findings painted an interesting picture of Nigeria’s oil geography. According to the verification exercise:
Rivers State has 195 oil wells
Delta State has 171
Imo State has 169
Ondo State has 138
Cross River and Akwa Ibom have 119 each
Bayelsa has 92
Edo has 29
Anambra has 25
The IATC also recommended that Nigeria’s maritime boundary maps should be reviewed and urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in resolving outstanding boundary disputes across the country.
It is against this backdrop that Governor Bassey Otu recently raised his voice again on the issue. Determined to make his point not just with documents but with geography itself, stakeholders and journalists went on a boat trip close to the Bakassi Peninsula, a field excursion of sorts, to see firsthand how the controversial delineation that denied Cross River oil wells was drawn.
Standing before them, Otu spoke with the conviction of a man who believes history has short-changed his state.
“For whatever mistake has been done, we are saying that we should right the wrongs and get this thing sorted. You are going to see today that the only navigational channel is through Cross River State. If you say we are landlocked, it means Nigeria is landlocked.”
He argued that the Supreme Court decision, though final in law, was based on information that he insists was flawed.
“Some people hold the argument that the Supreme Court had passed a decision. There’s nothing wrong with that, because the Supreme Court passed a decision based on the facts that were provided, and those facts were very fraudulent.”
To drive home his point, he challenged the visitors to observe the geography themselves.
“So, I want you to go and see first-hand. When you reach the boundary of Nigeria, you will know the boundary of Nigeria by the number of gunboats that will approach you.”
He also dismissed claims that Akwa Ibom shares a boundary directly with Cameroon.
“I’m told Akwa Ibom is claiming that they don’t have a boundary with Cross River State and that they have a boundary with Cameroon. Akwa Ibom is 25 nautical miles away.
The line they drew was into the Calabar exterior. If you are boundarying with Cameroon, then your line should be with Cameroon because you have to pass us when coming in, before you get to Akwa Ibom.”
Beyond the cartography and legal arguments, the governor believes the issue has broader economic implications for the country.
“You are going to see what Nigeria is losing in terms of all the oil wells, both the ones that are straddled and the ones that are there, being drilled, and money not paid to Nigeria.”
For Otu, the argument ultimately rests on facts, hard coordinates rather than political rhetoric.
“All the issues which we presented before the interagency teams, the letters we gave them here, coordinates don’t lie. No matter how many times you somersault, the coordinate is a coordinate. The historical foundations of the different places cannot also lie.”
He even suggested that those working on the offshore platforms already know the truth.
“When you get there, you can climb any platform or go anywhere and ask them, where are you operating from? They will tell you. You are going to meet many Akwa Ibomites there, but because of their professional status and ethics, they cannot lie to you.”
In the end, he framed the struggle not as a political quarrel but as a quest for fairness.
“So we believe that, yes, there is a need for this one way or the other to be put right so that this nation can grow peacefully. It’s not a matter of politics.
Well, there are situations which people can just allow so that peace reigns. But I believe that we have had peace for us to be able now to enjoy our full rights.”
For Cross River, the debate over the oil wells may have begun decades ago, but judging by the governor’s renewed push and the new technical findings, it is far from over.
The post 13 % Derivation: Gov Otu fights on as new report says Cross River has 119 Oil Wells appeared first on Vanguard News.
