The Cross River State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to reclaiming the 76 oil wells ceded to Akwa Ibom State in 2012, following a Supreme Court ruling.
Governor Bassey Otu made this declaration during a media briefing in Calabar, vowing to take all necessary steps to reverse the decision and restore Cross River’s oil-producing status.
The long standing dispute began after Nigeria ceded the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon in 2008, in compliance with an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling.
This led to a Supreme Court verdict in 2012, which ruled that Cross River lost its littoral status and, therefore, its right to offshore oil resources.
Justice Olufunlola Adekeye, who delivered the lead judgment, stated that only littoral states could claim maritime resources, effectively awarding the oil wells to Akwa Ibom.
Despite this ruling, governor Otu insists that the wells were wrongly ceded and has pledged to explore legal and diplomatic avenues to reclaim them.
He also revealed that while Cross River has not received any revenue from the disputed wells, Akwa Ibom has also been unable to access funds generated 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 said.
The 76 oil wells have remained a contentious issue since the 2002 ICJ ruling that transferred Bakassi to Cameroon.
The Supreme Court’s 2012 judgment not only reinforced Cross River’s loss of maritime territory but also absolved the National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) of any wrongdoing in the matter.
With Governor Otu’s renewed push, the issue has once again taken center stage. It remains to be seen how the federal government and relevant agencies will respond to Cross River’s latest efforts to reclaim the wells.