The Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission has received the final report of the Federal Government’s Inter-Agency Committee on oil-producing states, projecting the likely re-listing of Cross River State as an oil-producing state after years of exclusion.
The report, submitted on February 13, 2026, is widely regarded as a major milestone in Nigeria’s fiscal federalism and resource allocation framework.
It follows a nationwide verification of crude oil and gas coordinates conducted between 2017 and 2025, with officials describing the exercise as one of the most detailed technical audits of petroleum asset locations in recent years.
Presenting the report to RMAFC Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Shehu, members of the 14-man committee explained that the six-month verification exercise, carried out between August 2025 and February 2026, involved field inspections, hydrographic validation, and reconciliation of state submissions.
The committee, which included representatives from the National Boundary Commission and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, verified more than 1,000 crude oil and gas coordinates across several states.
Mr. Shehu commended the committee for what he described as a rigorous and nationally significant assignment, noting that the exercise reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency and accuracy in revenue attribution.
He stressed that the process went beyond documentation to include physical verification and security-backed confirmations across multiple oil-bearing communities and offshore locations.
Findings from the report indicate that several oil-producing states could benefit from newly verified oil well attributions, while longstanding boundary disputes were resolved through shared allocations based on geological evidence.
The committee reportedly applied technical data and reservoir mapping to settle overlaps among affected states, ensuring that attributions reflected scientific realities rather than political considerations.
The report particularly places Cross River in a strong position to regain its oil-producing status, projecting over 100 producing wells from verified onshore and offshore reservoirs, especially within OML 114 located in its maritime territory.
The development, if ratified, would mark the state’s return to the oil-producing states list for the first time since 2008, despite lingering implications of the 2012 judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which retained 76 oil wells in neighbouring Akwa Ibom State.
Implementation of the committee’s recommendations now awaits approval from Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Upon presidential assent, the RMAFC Board of Commissioners is expected to convene to finalize the operational framework for updating Nigeria’s official oil-producing states register, a move stakeholders say could restore economic balance and constitutional equity for Cross River.
Reporting by Nosa Aituamen