Is Oshiomhole Right About Cross River Being an Oil-Producing State?

Adams Oshiomhole, the senator for Edo North Senatorial District in the 10th National Assembly, said that President Bola Tinubu’s government has recognized Cross River State as an oil-producing state. He believes this will permanently boost the state's revenue.

But official records from the government, including federal revenue allocation reports and a list of littoral host communities, do not support his claim.

At an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Calabar on November 2, to rally support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, Oshiomhole told the crowd that Cross River had regained its littoral status and was now an oil-producing state.

“When good things happen, leaders must claim the glory. Once upon a time, Cross River State became out as a littoral state. Today, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Cross River State is considered and is an oil-producing state. This is important because this is a structural change that will forever increase the revenue accruing to the great people of this great state,” he said.

However, a review by PREMIUM TIMES of official revenue allocation records, federal government gazettes, court judgments, and statements from the agency in charge of revenue allocation found no proof that Cross River has been officially recognized as an oil-producing state or eligible for the 13 percent derivation fund.

The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) also rejected Oshiomhole’s claim, stating that Cross River had not been recognized as a littoral state and was not eligible for derivation revenue.

PREMIUM TIMES looked at the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) reports released by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation from May 2023 to August 2026. The reports show that Cross River has not been among the states getting the 13 percent derivation allocation from oil and gas production during this time.

The latest report from August 2026, which covers revenue for July 2026, lists states benefiting from the derivation fund but does not include Cross River. The states that received this allocation are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, and Rivers.

Although Cross River received its usual statutory allocation and other revenue, it was not listed among the beneficiaries of the 13 percent derivation allocation. Receiving revenue from the Federation Account does not automatically give a state oil-producing status or qualify it for derivation revenue.

Section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution states that the principle of derivation must be included in any approved revenue allocation formula. It also says that not less than 13 percent of revenue coming to the Federation Account from natural resources must be allocated to the states where that revenue comes from.

This law sets the basis for the 13 percent derivation fund, which benefits states whose resources bring money into the Federation Account. So, a political announcement cannot just create a state’s entitlement.

Recognition and allocation of derivation revenue must follow proper technical and administrative processes. More evidence against Oshiomhole’s claim comes from a federal government gazette published in March 2024.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette from the National Boundary Commission lists oil and gas host communities in littoral states. The gazette names communities in five states: Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, and Akwa Ibom. Cross River is not on this list.

The gazette was issued according to Regulation 6(2)(a) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Host Communities Development Regulations, 2022. This regulation provides for identifying littoral communities near shallow-water and deep-water areas along the Gulf of Guinea.

It states that a littoral community near a deep-water area of operation along the Gulf of Guinea and located within about 500 meters from the Nigerian shoreline must be recognized by the National Boundary Commission.

This gazette is an official record of communities recognized under the coastal framework for the Petroleum Industry Act. Cross River’s exclusion while Akwa Ibom and four other states are included raises questions about Oshiomhole’s claim.

While this gazette focuses on eligible host communities under the Petroleum Industry Act, it adds more evidence against the idea that Cross River has gained formal recognition in the coastal framework.

The issue of Cross River’s oil-producing status goes back before the Tinubu administration. The state once had littoral status and got derivation revenue from offshore oil wells. But the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon in 2002.

The transfer of Bakassi and the Cross River estuary to Cameroon in 2008 changed the state’s maritime boundary and its right to revenue from offshore oil wells. Cross River then got into a disagreement with Akwa Ibom over 76 offshore oil wells and the revenue from them.

The state took the matter to the Supreme Court, asking for recognition of its right to the oil wells and the derivation revenue. However, on July 10, 2012, the Supreme Court dismissed the case. The court ruled that after the ICJ judgment and the transfer of Bakassi, Cross River no longer had a maritime boundary that qualified it as a littoral state.

Justice Olufunlola Adekeye, who wrote the lead judgment, said the 76 oil wells could not belong to Cross River because they were located in another state’s territory. The court also said that derivation revenue from these wells should go to the state where they were found.

This judgment built on an earlier Supreme Court decision in 2005 regarding the impact of the ICJ judgment on Cross River’s maritime boundary. These rulings are key to understanding the state’s ongoing fight to reclaim oil-producing status.

Despite the legal situation, Cross River has kept pushing its claims over disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells. The matter got new attention when RMAFC decided to review the verification of disputed oil and gas wells across the country.

On September 17, 2026, the commission announced a new Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) to verify disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells from 2017 onward. The commission aims to improve fiscal transparency, ensure fair revenue allocation, and promote integrity in managing oil and gas revenues.

RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, said the commission has thrown out the previous draft report on the verification exercise. This was due to claims and complaints from various states. He said the complaints mainly focused on needing to re-verify the coordinates of disputed and new wells and accurately map them.

Mr Shehu instructed the new committee to consider court decisions, use approved maps, and physically verify wells when needed. The committee will ensure that verified coordinates, maps, and boundaries match the reality on the ground.

The previous committee’s work gave Cross River hope of regaining its oil-producing status, as reported by PREMIUM TIMES. But the new verification committee’s formation does not mean Cross River has been declared an oil-producing state. The committee was only formed in September, and their work is still ongoing.

This exercise shows that the disputed claims are still being examined. RMAFC’s announcement in September did not declare Cross River as a littoral or oil-producing state.

To find out if any changes have occurred regarding Cross River’s status, PREMIUM TIMES reached out to Maryam Yusuf, head of RMAFC’s Information and Public Relations Unit. When asked if Cross River had been recognized as a littoral or oil-producing state and if it was now eligible for the 13 percent derivation fund, Ms Yusuf denied the claim.

“It is not true that Cross River State has been recognized as a littoral state and has become eligible for the 13 percent derivation fund,” she told PREMIUM TIMES. Her response directly contradicts Oshiomhole’s statement that the state gained oil-producing status under Tinubu’s administration.

PREMIUM TIMES also checked the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) 2026 crude oil production records from January to September. The records did not show any oil-producing sites linked to Cross River. Instead, they listed oil fields in other states.

PREMIUM TIMES reached out to NUPRC’s Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, for clarification on whether any new oil fields had been officially linked to Cross River. He did not respond to calls or messages.

PREMIUM TIMES also tried to get in touch with Oshiomhole. Calls did not go through. The newspaper later sent him a text message asking him to explain his claim and provide evidence, especially considering the FAAC records and RMAFC’s denial of his statement. He did not reply directly.

PREMIUM TIMES then contacted Victor Oshioke, Oshiomhole’s media aide, who shared a Facebook post as the source of the senator’s claim. The post was from a user named Olom Abang and quoted a statement from Paul Ishabor, a lawyer and political figure in Cross River.

This post, dated August 14, came from Cross River Rediscovered, a socio-political group led by Ishabor. It claimed that Cross River had “now attained full accreditation as an Oil Producing State.” However, the post did not name the government agency responsible for this alleged accreditation or provide any official document confirming it.

PREMIUM TIMES found no credible news reports confirming that Cross River has received such recognition. The newspaper also asked Oshiomhole’s aide if the senator had verified the credibility of the Facebook post before using it in his claim at the rally. They also pointed out RMAFC’s rejection of the assertion and the lack of supporting evidence in official records.

The aide did not answer these questions.

PREMIUM TIMES found no official proof that Cross River State has regained its littoral status or been recognized as an oil-producing state under Tinubu’s administration. FAAC records do not show Cross River receiving the 13 percent derivation allocation. RMAFC has also firmly rejected that Cross River has been recognized as a littoral or oil-producing state.

The National Boundary Commission’s March 2024 gazette also leaves out Cross River from the recognized littoral host communities under the Petroleum Industry Act. While RMAFC has reopened the verification of disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells, this process is still active and has not defined Cross River as an oil-producing state.

Oshiomhole’s claim seems to rely on an ongoing verification exercise and an unverified social media post as proof of a significant government achievement. The claim is False.