The
Federal Government on Wednesday has said four of the five oil wells
discovered in Lagos truly belongs to the state but disproves the
state’s ownership of one other oil well.
The
FG explained that the disproved oil well fell beyond 200 metres isobaths and
did not legitimately belong to Lagos State.
A
delegation of the Indices and Disbursement Committee, Revenue
Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, led by its Chairman,
Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed visited Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Wednesday
at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria for the purpose
of verifying crude oil and gas production from Aje Oil wells for the
purpose of disbursement of 13% derivation fund to the state in line
with the constitution of Nigeria.
According
to Mohammed, as part of procedure and in pursuant to its
constitutional mandate, the commission set up an Inter-Agency
Technical Committee which comprised the commission, the Department of
Petroleum Resources, DPR, Office of the Surveyor General of the
Federation and the National Boundary Commission to determine the
location of the Aje oil wells.
“The
technical committee recommended that for the purpose of derivation as
spelt out under Section 162 (2) of the 1999 constitution (as amended)
as well as the provision of the Allocation of Revenue Act 2004, Aje
oil wells 1, 2, 4 and 5 fall within the 200m isobaths and therefore
should be attributed to Lagos State.
“As
a result, the commission and members of the Inter-Agency Committee
had to embark on this working visit to conclude the process. Please,
note that Aje 3 oil well falls beyond the 200m isobaths and therefore
cannot be legitimately attributed to Lagos State,” he stated.
He
added that the commencement of oil production from Aje oil field by
Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Company Limited was the first time oil was
being produced outside the Niger Delta basin and therefore of a major
significance in diversifying the source of crude oil and gas
production in the country.
Speaking,
Ambode described the visit as historic and one that would go down in
the annals of the history of Lagos State, as the visit was the
official step that would take Lagos to that final destination as an
oil-producing state.
“We
are very glad to receive this delegation. We also want to thank the
Federal Government, most especially President Muhammadu Buhari for
making this to happen very promptly. I want to say that this has been
the promptest action that has been taken by RMAFC since I have known
the Commission. I used to be a former Account General so I had a lot
of transactions and relationship with the institution called RMAFC.
Within a span of about 60 days of when we wrote our letter, and even
before we wrote the letter, this technical committee was actually set
up. It gladdens me to say that the institution works and is working
for the good of Nigeria,” he said.
Also
thanking the DPR and the boundary commission, Ambode said it was
significant that the discovery of oil wells in Lagos was going to be
the first time oil would be produced outside the Niger Delta.
“It’s
significant for Nigeria, its significant for Lagos, it means that the
whole path to diversification is what we are now witnessing. We would
also encourage other states in terms of other mineral resources, not
necessarily depend on crude oil; whatever it is that can actually
allow states to start activating their mineral deposits, it would
allow us expand the Internally Generated Revenue.
“It
would also give us revenue dependence in a manner that there would be
equal growth from all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. One is happy
that RMAFC has taken this step and also to say that they should also
encourage other states to engage in such activities that would allow
them to be able to activate whatever mineral deposit that we have in
the various states in conjunction with the Federal Government, so
that we can start to diversify revenue and growth and then create a
balanced growth and development for the whole country,” he added.
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