Cross River State is on the cusp of reclaiming its position as an oil-producing state, a status it last held in 2008. This development follows the formal submission of the final report by the Federal Government’s Inter-Agency Technical Committee to the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) on Friday, February 13, 2026.

The report, which concludes the 2017–2025 nationwide verification of crude oil and gas coordinates, is expected to pave the way for Cross River to once again benefit from the 13 percent derivation fund. This comes after nearly two decades of advocacy and scientific revalidation efforts.

M. B. Shehu, the Chairman of RMAFC, received the report from 10 members of the 14-man committee. The verification exercise spanned from August 2025 to February 2026 and included extensive field verification, technical reconciliation of state submissions, and a final plenary plotting of coordinates at RMAFC headquarters between January 24 and 31, 2026.

Shehu commended the committee, describing the assignment as “rigorous, technical and nationally significant.” He emphasized that the verification of over 1,000 crude oil and gas coordinates across Nigeria demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency and accuracy in revenue attribution. He stated, “This was not a desk exercise. It involved physical verification, hydrographic validation, boundary reconciliation and security-backed confirmations across multiple states.”

According to an insider source, the committee comprised representatives from RMAFC, the National Boundary Commission (NBC), the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGoF), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Nigerian Hydrographic Agency, and relevant security agencies. The team's mandate was to scientifically determine the precise location of oil and gas assets within Nigeria’s onshore and offshore boundaries.

Over a six-month period, the team visited more than 12 states, including Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Imo, Anambra, Abia, and Cross River, verifying over 1,000 new crude oil and gas coordinates based on confirmed onshore and offshore reservoir data. The report indicates that nearly all oil-producing states are poised to benefit from new oil well attributions arising from the verified coordinates.

Several longstanding boundary overlaps were resolved through shared attributions, including those between Rivers and Akwa Ibom, Delta and Edo, Delta and Ondo, Imo and Rivers, Imo and Anambra, and Akwa Ibom and Cross River. Sources familiar with the deliberations noted that “where geological reservoirs straddle boundaries, equity and technical evidence guided shared attributions rather than political considerations.”

Significantly, technical projections in the report suggest that Cross River is in a strong position to regain oil-producing status with more than 100 producing oil wells from verified onshore and offshore reservoir coordinates—particularly from OML 114 located within its maritime territory.

While Cross River submitted the highest number of surface coordinates—over 245—the implications of the 2012 Supreme Court judgment are expected to retain 76 oil wells in Akwa Ibom State, pending further judicial interpretation.

Despite these deductions, sources close to the verification process assert that Cross River’s geological evidence was “compelling, empirical and beyond reasonable doubt.” One senior official stated, “The science speaks for itself. The reservoirs do not lie. The coordinates verified clearly establish Cross River’s producing status.”

An Abuja-based fiscal expert noted that the key is “to separate administrative attribution from geological reality, and Cross River emerges strongly from that distinction.” He added that in May 2024, Cross River had earlier benefited from an Inter-Agency Committee report attributing 67 oil wells from OML 114 to the state, though implementation did not follow at the time. In 2025, the state adopted a more robust scientific and geological framework, reinforcing its submissions with hydrographic and reservoir data.

The RMAFC Chairman is awaiting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent for implementation of the Inter Agency Technical Committee (IATC) report.

Upon presidential approval, the RMAFC Board of Commissioners will convene a plenary session to approve the operational framework for implementing the new attributions and updating Nigeria’s official list of oil-producing states.