Although the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, and his Cross River counterpart, Bassey Otu, were members of the same political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), but both governors have drawn a clear battle line over ownership of the 76 offshore oil wells setup along the borderline between both states.
The battle that had been laid to rest by the Supreme Court over a decade ago has resurfaced again with both states seeking to take ownership of the facilities to boost their Gross Domestic Products (GDP).
While the Cross River State Government has reportedly reignited interest in seeking a political resolution to reclaim the oil wells, its Akwa Ibom counterpart rejected the move, insisting that the matter was conclusively decided by the apex court in July 2012.
The Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, described the renewed agitation as legally baseless and politically motivated while responding to questions on a popular television programme yesterday, urged residents to ignore the narrative from Cross Rivers.
“This is a matter that has been resolved by the highest court in the land the Supreme Court. The judgment delivered in July 2012 is final, binding, and cannot be appealed. Akwa Ibom did not initiate the legal battle, but the court ruled in our favour. There is no basis for reopening the conversation,” Umanah stated.
He further explained that the Supreme Court had ruled that Cross River State, following the ceding of the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon in 2008, lost its status as a littoral state and therefore could no longer lay claim to maritime resources, including the 76 oil wells in contention.
“Cross River has no maritime boundary. The oil wells are offshore and located within Akwa Ibom’s maritime territory. This position is not political; it is legal and geographic reality,” he added.
Commissioner Umanah used the opportunity to highlight the achievements of Governor Umo Eno’s administration under the ARISE Agenda. He noted progress in infrastructure, rural development, agriculture, tourism, MSME support, and peacebuilding efforts across the state.
He cited the development of the ARISE Park in Uyo, the Oron Marine Resort, and the Ibom Tropicana Hotel project as key investments aimed at positioning Akwa Ibom as a leading tourism and economic hub in the region.
He also referred to the recent visit by Governor Umo Eno, alongside Senate President God’s will Akpabio and other federal lawmakers from the state, to President Bola Tinubu.describing it as a strategic move to attract federal support for major projects such as the Ibom Deep Seaport.
The Guild understands that the long standing dispute over the oil wells dates back to an administrative decision in 2006 that temporarily allocated some offshore oil wells to Cross River State. But following the International Court of Justice ruling and subsequent handing over of Bakassi to Cameroon in 2008, Cross River lost access to the coast.
In 2012, the Supreme Court, led by then Chief Justice Dahiru Musdapher, ruled that Akwa Ibom rightfully owned the oil wells, based on the recommendation of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the statutory position of the National Boundary Commission.
Justice Clara Ogunbiyi (then Adekeye), in the lead judgment, ruled that the 13 percent derivation revenue accruing from the oil wells must go to Akwa Ibom, as the state with valid maritime boundaries.
“The plaintiff [Cross River State], not being a littoral state, and not having a maritime boundary, cannot lay claim to oil wells situated offshore. The plaintiff has no maritime territory since the cessation of Bakassi Peninsula,” the court held.
The apex court maintained that the loss of littoral status was an act of international diplomacy and geography, not a fault of Akwa Ibom or any federal agency.
