The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission has refuted claims that certain disputed crude oil and gas wells have been recommended for ceding to specific oil-producing states. Chairman of the commission, Dr. Mohammed Shehu, in a statement issued on Sunday, February 15, 2026, clarified that no such decision has been finalized.

The statement addressed a “purported report allegedly issued by the Inter-Agency Committee on the Verification of Coordinates of Disputed Crude Oil and Gas Wells between States,” which had been circulating in the national media. The commission stated that this report claimed recommendations had already been made to cede certain oil wells to particular states.

RMAFC described the circulating report as “misleading, premature, and does not represent the position or conclusions of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.” The commission emphasized that “At this stage, there is no finalised recommendation or decision regarding the ceding or reallocation of any oil wells, as due institutional processes are still ongoing.”

The commission outlined its transparent procedure for handling assignments of national significance, indicating that the process concerning the disputed oil wells has not been concluded. It disclosed that it received a draft report from the inter-agency committee on Friday, February 13, 2026.

The draft document, according to the statement, “has been transmitted to relevant technical and statutory stakeholders, namely the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the National Boundary Commission, and the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, for detailed review, observations, and technical input.”

Following the receipt of observations and recommendations from these agencies, the matter will undergo further scrutiny by the commission’s internal tripartite committees, including the Committee on Crude Oil, Gas and Investment and the Legal Matters Committee. These committees will conduct comprehensive technical and legal reviews before presenting their findings to the Plenary Session of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission for deliberation and final recommendations.

Upon completion of the institutional processes, the commission's final report will be formally transmitted to the President and the Attorney-General of the Federation for necessary consideration and further action, as per applicable laws and constitutional provisions.

The RMAFC urged members of the public, stakeholders, and media organisations to disregard the purported report and await official communication from the commission upon completion of the statutory review process. The commission reiterated its commitment to transparency, due process, and the objective discharge of its constitutional mandate in the national interest.

The PUNCH reported in January 2026 that RMAFC urged oil-producing states to fully cooperate in the ongoing exercise to resolve disputes over oil and gas wells by plotting verified coordinates. Chairman of the commission, Mohammed Shehu, made the call in Abuja at the flag-off of the plotting of coordinates of disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells, covering affected oil-producing states from January 26 to 30, 2026.

Shehu emphasized the importance of active participation by the states to ensure the exercise's outcome is accepted by all parties, stating, “It is in respect of this development that I urge the representatives of the affected oil-producing states to actively participate while plotting the verified coordinates, so that the outcome would be acceptable to all.” He assured the states that the commission would remain impartial throughout the process.