The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has commenced the verification of disputed and newly drilled crude oil and gas wells in Imo State, covering the period from 2017 to date.
The exercise, which began on Wednesday, is aimed at establishing the accurate locations and coordinates of the affected oil and gas wells to ensure fairness and accuracy in the allocation of revenue from the Federation Account.
RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Bello-Shehu, said the exercise falls within the commission’s statutory responsibility to monitor revenue accruals and disbursements from the Federation Account, including the equitable distribution of the 13 per cent derivation fund to oil-producing states.
He explained that the commission had reconstituted its Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) to examine and verify the coordinates of disputed and newly drilled wells, as well as conduct physical inspections of the affected locations.
The committee comprises technical representatives from the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, the National Boundary Commission, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Imo State Government.
According to Bello-Shehu, the committee’s terms of reference include physically inspecting the affected wells, accurately plotting their verified coordinates, using approved maps and considering relevant court judgments in resolving disputes over oil and gas well locations.
He stressed that the exercise was crucial to determining the appropriate fiscal entitlements of the affected states and ensuring that revenue allocation is guided by accurate technical and geographical records.
The RMAFC chairman charged members of the committee to carry out the assignment with diligence, professionalism and strict adherence to established surveying standards and relevant legal provisions.
He added that the committee would submit its findings and recommendations exclusively to the commission for consideration, ratification and formal adoption.
Meanwhile, Governor Hope Uzodimma commended the committee for undertaking the exercise and urged its members to pay particular attention to complaints from host communities.
The governor expressed concern over situations where oil wells are allegedly attributed to communities outside whose geographical boundaries they are located, urging the committee to identify and correct any such discrepancies during the verification process.
The exercise is expected to provide clearer technical records of disputed oil and gas well locations, with possible implications for revenue derivation and the financial entitlements of oil-producing communities and states.
Written by Enitan Mudashiru
