The Cross River State Government has announced its ongoing efforts to reclaim the 76 oil wells that were ceded to Akwa Ibom in 2012 following a Supreme Court judgment.
Governor Bassey Otu made the announcement on Tuesday during a media conference in Calabar, where he vowed that his administration is committed to regaining what rightfully belongs to the state.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria, in 2012, ruled in favor of Akwa Ibom in the dispute involving the rightful owner of the oil wells, dismissing Cross River’s appeal.
Justice Olufunlola Adekeye, who delivered the lead judgment, stated that Cross River lost its status as a littoral state following the cession of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon in 2008. Consequently, the state was deemed ineligible to claim offshore oil wells.
“The facts before the court do not support the claim of the plaintiff to being a littoral state. A non-littoral state cannot claim oil wells offshore as she has no maritime territory.
“The plaintiff has no maritime territory since the cessation of Bakassi Peninsula and the Cross River estuary, which used to be part of the state prior to August 2008.
“The present position of the plaintiff cannot be blamed on any government agency, particularly the National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC),” Justice Adekeye had ruled.
The judgment also absolved government agencies such as the National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) of any blame for the loss.
However, Governor Otu argued that the wells were wrongly ceded to Akwa Ibom and his administration would take all necessary steps to reverse the decision.
Governor Otu optimistic
He expressed optimism about the ongoing process, stating that while Cross River has not received revenue from the wells, Akwa Ibom has also been unable to access proceeds from them.
“I am happy to let us know that even though we have not received any money from the wells, Akwa Ibom is also not getting anything for now from it. While a decision is yet to be made on where the wells rightfully belong, the proceeds are being kept in an escrow account by the authority,” Otu explained.
What you should know
- The dispute over ownership of the oil wells started after Nigeria lost the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon following a legal dispute at the International Court of Justice.
- In October 2002, ICJ ruled (based principally on the Anglo-German agreements) that sovereignty over Bakassi rested with Cameroon. It instructed Nigeria to transfer possession of the peninsula but did not require the inhabitants to move or to change their nationality.
