RMAFC Sets Up Committee to Settle States’ Oil Well Disputes
By Patience Ikpeme
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has set up a new committee to check and confirm the exact locations of oil and gas wells that have caused disagreements among states, as well as wells drilled from 2017 till now.
The Commission’s Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, spoke on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at the swearing-in of the committee, known as the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC), held at the Commission’s new Boardroom. He said the exercise falls under RMAFC’s constitutional duty to monitor money that comes into and goes out of the Federation Account, and that it will help ensure states that produce oil get their fair share of the 13 per cent Derivation Fund.
Dr. Shehu explained that an earlier report on the same exercise had to be thrown out after several states raised complaints and disagreements. According to him, “the concerns centred largely on the need to re-verify the coordinates of disputed and newly drilled wells and accurately plot the verified coordinates on approved maps.”
He said the committee has been told to look at relevant court rulings, use only approved maps, and visit the actual well sites physically where this becomes necessary, so that the final findings match what is really on ground.
To make the process run smoothly, the Chairman said two levels of oversight have been created. The first level will be made up of technical staff and experts drawn from RMAFC, the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, the National Boundary Commission, and the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission.
This group will carry out the actual field checks, inspections, technical work, and prepare the first draft of the report. The second level, called the Executive Committee, will be led by the top management of RMAFC and will guide the process, coordinate the different agencies involved, and give final approval before the report is officially adopted.
Dr. Shehu added that RMAFC will back the committee with the support it needs, including working with security agencies to arrange clearances and protection for officials operating in difficult and coastal locations. He said Surveyors-General from the affected states and representatives of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) will also be present as observers, to help keep the process open and trustworthy.
He urged committee members to carry out their assignment with honesty and fairness, saying the goal is to bring lasting peace and clarity to the disputes among states over oil and gas wells.
Also speaking, the Commission’s Secretary, Comrade Tosin Adeyanju, thanked members for honouring the invitation and asked them to put the country’s interest above all else. He said the committee’s work will attract close attention because of past experience with similar exercises, and said he was hopeful the group would produce a result the whole country and the states involved can be proud of.
