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From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Following the heightened disputations among the newly drilled crude oil and gas wells co-ordinates in some states, the Federal Government has commenced physical verification of the areas with a view to resolving the crises.
The contending states include Delta, Ondo, Edo, Anambra, Imo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.
Speaking at the ceremony in Owerri, Imo State, the chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Dr Mohammed Bello Shehu, described the exercise as critical to ensuring accuracy, transparency and fairness in the administration of the 13 per cent derivation fund.
He noted that the commission’s constitutional mandate includes monitoring accruals to and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account, as well as ensuring equitable distribution of derivation revenue among oil and gas-producing states.
The chairman stressed that the determination of exact co-ordinates and spatial alignments for the subject wellheads directly governs the legal and financial entitlements of the respective sub-national entities.
He consequently charged members of the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) and deployed technical officers to discharge the assignment with diligence, technical precision and professionalism, insisting that every verified co-ordinate, technical assessment and physical observation conducted on-site must withstand rigorous statutory scrutiny.
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According to him, the exercise will involve the examination of disputed and newly drilled oil and gas well co-ordinates, physical verification of affected wellheads, accurate plotting using approved maps and consideration of relevant court decisions in resolving disputes. Shehu further directed that the committee’s harmonised technical report and findings be submitted exclusively to RMAFC for ratification and formal adoption.
The IATC comprises relevant technical institutions, including the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGoF), the National Boundary Commission (NBC) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
In a statement, the Head, Information and Public Relations Unit of RMAFC, Mrs Maryam Umar Yusuf, said that the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, was represented on the occasion by the Commissioner for Petroleum, Emeka Mgbudem.
RMAFC commissioners present included Adamu Abdu Fanda (Kano State), Chairman, Crude Oil Committee; Oladele Semiu Gboyega (Osun State), Chairman, Gas Committee; Ismail Mohammed Agaka (Kwara State), Chairman, Public Affairs and Communication Committee; Ambassador Ayuba Jacob Ngbako (FCT); Akpan Imo Effiong (Akwa Ibom State); and Helen Bob Inafa (Bayelsa State).
Other dignitaries present included the Imo State Commissioner for Lands, Surveyor Clement Nwabichie; the Commissioner for Finance and Co-ordinating Economy, Mr Chucks Chukwuemeka; and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Lands, Dr Angelina Ohiri.
It will be recalled that the exercise was conducted earlier but, owing to some issues, the commission thought it fit to repeat it in order to ensure that all the issues raised are adequately attended to.
