Cross River State’s return to oil-producing status is now in sight

Cross River State is edging toward a long-awaited reversal of fortune, with fresh scientific findings placing it firmly back on Nigeria’s oil-producing map after nearly two decades in limbo.

At the centre of this shift is a comprehensive technical report recently submitted to the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), following a nationwide audit of crude oil and gas locations. The document affirms that commercially viable oil reservoirs exist within Cross River’s recognised maritime and territorial boundaries, an outcome that strengthens the state’s claim to oil-producing status lost in 2008.

Unlike earlier efforts that relied heavily on administrative records, the latest assessment was driven by empirical evidence. Federal agencies jointly conducted extensive field checks, geospatial mapping, and reservoir analysis to determine the true location of oil and gas assets across the country. The process prioritised geology over paperwork, a shift that proved critical for states whose resource claims had remained contested for years.

For Cross River, the findings are transformative. Verified data point to more than 100 producing oil wells linked to its offshore assets, particularly within Oil Mining Lease 114. This places the state in line for reinstatement into the group of oil-producing states eligible for the 13 percent derivation allocation.

The broader exercise also recalibrated Nigeria’s oil map as several overlapping claims between neighbouring states were resolved through shared attribution where reservoirs straddle boundaries, reflecting a deliberate move away from zero-sum decisions. Officials involved in the process say technical accuracy and equity guided outcomes, not political bargaining.

Although Cross River submitted the highest volume of coordinate data during the verification, existing legal constraints mean a portion of the wells identified will, for now, remain credited elsewhere. Even with those limitations, insiders describe the state’s geological case as decisive, noting that the strength of the reservoir evidence leaves little ambiguity about its producing status.

The momentum behind Cross River’s return was not accidental. After earlier attribution efforts failed to translate into implementation, the state refined its approach, anchoring its submissions on advanced hydrographic and subsurface data rather than surface claims alone. That strategic shift, experts say, made the difference in the latest round.

All that now stands between verification and formal recognition is presidential approval. Once assent is granted, RMAFC is expected to activate the new attributions and update the national register of oil-producing states.

If implemented, the decision will close a chapter that has spanned nearly 20 years for Cross River, one marked by dispute, persistence, and eventual scientific clarity and reaffirm a growing national preference for evidence-based resource governance.