The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has inaugurated a reconstituted Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) in Abuja to verify disputed and newly drilled oil and gas wells in Nigeria from 2017 to the present. The move is designed to strengthen fiscal transparency, ensure equitable revenue allocation, and uphold institutional integrity within the country’s oil and gas sector.
Speaking at the inauguration, RMAFC Chairman Dr. Mohammed Shehu stated that the exercise aligns with the commission’s constitutional mandate to monitor accruals to and disbursements from the Federation Account. He emphasized that accurate verification is critical to ensuring the fair distribution of the 13 percent derivation fund among oil and gas-producing states.
Dr. Shehu explained that the commission discarded a previous draft report on the verification exercise due to multiple claims, counter-claims, and complaints from various states. The primary concerns involved the need to re-verify the coordinates of disputed and newly drilled wells and to accurately plot these verified coordinates on approved maps. The new committee is tasked with ensuring that every verified coordinate, map, and boundary evaluation reflects the actual situation on the ground.
To ensure efficiency and accountability, the commission established a two-tier governance structure for the verification process. The first tier consists of technical officers and subject-matter experts from the RMAFC, the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, the National Boundary Commission, and the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission. This group will conduct ground-level verification, field inspections, technical analysis, and initial report drafting.
The second tier is an executive committee led by the commission’s leadership, which will provide strategic direction, coordinate between agencies, and oversee final approvals before findings are presented for formal ratification. Dr. Shehu directed the committee to consider relevant court decisions, rely strictly on approved maps, and undertake physical field verification where necessary. Additionally, Surveyors-General from affected states and representatives of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) will participate as observers to promote transparency.
The commission will provide institutional support, including engagement with security authorities to facilitate administrative clearances and security coverage during field operations in complex and coastal environments. Commission Secretary Comrade Tosin Adeyanju urged members to prioritize the nation’s interest, noting that the committee’s work would face greater scrutiny given lessons from previous exercises. He expressed optimism that the panel would deliver a credible outcome that serves as a lasting legacy for national development.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
