RMAFC describes allegation on Rivers/Bayelsa oil dispute as misleading

Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, has said the allegation that the commission moved five oil communities from Rivers State to Bayelsa State was misleading. Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Elias Mbam, made this known at a news conference in Abuja.

The Presidency had denied a media report alleging President Goodluck Jonathan’s involvement in ceding of five Rivers oil producing communities to Bayelsa. A statement issued by Dr. Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, denied the report.

Mbam said: “It is worth mentioning that the commission does not act in isolation without reference to other relevant government agencies at all levels of government.

“Indeed, the commission does not on its own generate data, demarcate boundaries or attribute oil wells to any state. Rather, the commission relies on data or information from relevant government agencies, including the Department of Petroleum Resources, the National Boundary Commission and the office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation.

“It is not the responsibility of the commission to adjust boundaries or determine location of oil wells. The allegation against the commission is therefore, baseless, false and misleading.”

On the alleged revenue from Soku community being attributed to Bayelsa, he said the commission relied on the decisions of the Presidential Committee on Verification of Oil Well of 2000 to do its work.

Soku is one of the rich oil communities that host the Soku oil fields/oil well that produces about 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day in the Niger Delta.

RMAFC boss said that although the Rivers government had challenged the position, the commission would continue to work in line with the rulings of the Supreme Court.

He said: “The Supreme Court, in its judgment of Tuesday, July 10, stated that until the National Boundary Commission concludes the delineation of the disputed boundary to finality, it will be futile and premature to determine the boundaries of the two party states in the present circumstance.”

Mbam said the appropriate order to be made in the prevailing circumstance was to strike out the plaintiff suit. He added that media reports from the Kalabari National Forum was baseless and malicious and a calculated attempts to misinform the public.

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RMAFC describes allegation on Rivers/Bayelsa oil dispute as misleading