Editorial
Court Ruling On Mbede, Akiri Oil Wells

Last Wednesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja restrained the Federal Government and its agencies from deducting funds meant for Rivers State in respect of Mbede and Akiri Oil Wells.
The Presiding Judge of the court, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, gave the ruling in an originating summons filed by the Attorney-General of Rivers State against the Attorney-General of the Federation; Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission; and Minister of Finance.
The Attorney-General of Rivers State moved the originating summons “Pursuant to Order 3, Rule 6, 7 and 9 of the Federal High Court (Civil Produres) Rules 2019, Section 7 of the National Boundary Commission (Establishment) Act, Section 162 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the inherent jurisdiction of the Federal High Court as preserved by Section 6 (6) of the 1999 Constitution”.
It would be recalled that the immediate past Imo State Governor, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, had written to President Muhammadu Buhari demanding revenue from the Federation Account in respect of the Mbede and Akiri Oil Wells.
Consequent upon this, the Rivers State Government went to court over the matter.
Ruling on the matter, the court declared that the Rivers State Government is entitled to continue to receive and retain revenue from the Federation Account and other accounts maintained for the purpose in respect of revenue derived from oil wells within the territory of Rivers State based on the 13 per cent derivation formula currently applied by the 4th Defendant.
The Federal High Court further declared that the Rivers State Government (represented by the Plaintiff on record) is entitled to receive and retain revenue from the Federation Account as provided for under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) in respect of revenue derived from the oil wells generally referred to as Mbede and Akiri Oil Wells located within the Rivers State territory.
Justice Taiwo declared that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (represented by 1st Defendant on record), are not entitled to give directives to the 4th Defendant with regard to distribution of public revenue from the distributable pool account, including the Federation Account; and that they are not entitled to interfere in any manner whatsoever with the distribution of public revenue from the distributable pool account, including the Federation Account.
The court held that the Governor of Imo State (represented by the 2nd Defendant) is not entitled to alter or cause to be altered, to deny or cause to be denied, whether through the instrumentality of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (represented by the 1st Defendant) or any manner howsoever the revenue due to the Rivers State Government in accordance with the principle and formula for distributing public revenue for the time being under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Justice Taiwo further declared that until the conflicting claims over Mbede and Akiri Oil Wells by Rivers State and Imo State are resolved by the National Boundary Commission, the 4th Defendant cannot deny Rivers State its due share of public revenue under the Constitution (as it is currently being distributed), or in any manner after the sharing formula or reduce the share of public revenue due to Rivers State on account of the claim by the 2nd Defendant to the said Mbede and Akiri Oil Wells.
The ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, as it were, is the latest twist in the face-off between Rivers State and Imo State over ownership of the two oil wells.
The ruling by the court is another victory for Rivers State nay, the Governor of the State, Chief Nyesom Wike, bearing in mind that the State had last year triumphed over its neighbouring Bayelsa State which had been laying claim to the ownership of Soku Oil Wells located within the territory of Rivers State.
In what appeared to be similar circumstances, the Rivers State Government had headed for the Supreme Court, which subsequently gave judgement in favour of the State by ceding the Soku Oil Wells to Rivers State, thereby putting paid to several years of disputation between the two States over the ownership of the oil wells.
Like the case of the Soku Oil Wells, The Tide is elated that the Rivers State Government followed due process in pursuing the matter to a logical conclusion and retrieve, through legitimate means, what rightly belongs to the State. We, therefore, without hesitation commend the Wike administration for its bold initiative in this regard by also heading for the court in this present matter. We believe this is the way to go.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the ruling by the Federal High Court over the Mbede and Akiri Oil Wells has currently doused the brewing tension over ownership of the two oil wells between Rivers State and Imo State, even while the two states await the final resolution of the matter by the National Boundary Commission. We advise the Imo State Government to take the ruling in good faith, and continue to maintain the peace existing between the two friendly states.
While we applaud the court ruling, we call on the Federal Government to immediately implement the pronouncement without necessarily inflicting any further loss of revenue accruing to Rivers State in the Federation Account or any other accounts whatsoever in respect of the Mbede and Akiri Oil Wells.
We are not unmindful of the fact that the present All Progressives Congress (APC) –led Federal Government has a penchant for treating with levity court orders and rulings, but we are sure that the Mbede and Akiri Oil Wells legal outcome would be a different ball game. There is need for it to be treated with the dispatch it deserves by the federal authorities to ensure that Rivers State enjoys its fair share of revenue accruing to it, particularly in the Federation Account. Nothing less will be acceptable.
In this regard, we appeal to the state government not to rest on its oars in ensuring the immediate implementation of the court ruling on the two oil wells. This it can do by bringing to bear the necessary pressure on the federal government to do the needful. We strongly believe that anything that has to do with the collective interest and survival of the state must not be compromised.
Editorial
Making Rivers’ Seaports Work

When Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, received the Board and Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), led by its Chairman, Senator Adeyeye Adedayo Clement, his message was unmistakable: Rivers’ seaports remain underutilised, and Nigeria is poorer for it. The governor’s lament was a sad reminder of how neglect and centralisation continue to choke the nation’s economic arteries.
The governor, in his remarks at Government House, Port Harcourt, expressed concern that the twin seaports — the NPA in Port Harcourt and the Onne Seaport — have not been operating at their full potential. He underscored that seaports are vital engines of national development, pointing out that no prosperous nation thrives without efficient ports and airports. His position aligns with global realities that maritime trade remains the backbone of industrial expansion and international commerce.
Indeed, the case of Rivers State is peculiar. It hosts two major ports strategically located along the Bonny River axis, yet cargo throughput has remained dismally low compared to Lagos. According to NPA’s 2023 statistics, Lagos ports (Apapa and Tin Can Island) handled over 75 per cent of Nigeria’s container traffic, while Onne managed less than 10 per cent. Such a lopsided distribution is neither efficient nor sustainable.
Governor Fubara rightly observed that the full capacity operation of Onne Port would be transformative. The area’s vast land mass and industrial potential make it ideal for ancillary businesses — warehousing, logistics, ship repair, and manufacturing. A revitalised Onne would attract investors, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth, not only in Rivers State but across the Niger Delta.
The multiplier effect cannot be overstated. The port’s expansion would boost clearing and forwarding services, strengthen local transport networks, and revitalise the moribund manufacturing sector. It would also expand opportunities for youth employment — a pressing concern in a state where unemployment reportedly hovers around 32 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Yet, the challenge lies not in capacity but in policy. For years, Nigeria’s maritime economy has been suffocated by excessive centralisation. Successive governments have prioritised Lagos at the expense of other viable ports, creating a traffic nightmare and logistical bottlenecks that cost importers and exporters billions annually. The governor’s call, therefore, is a plea for fairness and pragmatism.
Making Lagos the exclusive maritime gateway is counter productive. Congestion at Tin Can Island and Apapa has become legendary — ships often wait weeks to berth, while truck queues stretch for kilometres. The result is avoidable demurrage, product delays, and business frustration. A more decentralised port system would spread economic opportunities and reduce the burden on Lagos’ overstretched infrastructure.
Importers continue to face severe difficulties clearing goods in Lagos, with bureaucratic delays and poor road networks compounding their woes. The World Bank’s Doing Business Report estimates that Nigerian ports experience average clearance times of 20 days — compared to just 5 days in neighbouring Ghana. Such inefficiency undermines competitiveness and discourages foreign investment.
Worse still, goods transported from Lagos to other regions are often lost to accidents or criminal attacks along the nation’s perilous highways. Reports from the Federal Road Safety Corps indicate that over 5,000 road crashes involving heavy-duty trucks occurred in 2023, many en route from Lagos. By contrast, activating seaports in Rivers, Warri, and Calabar would shorten cargo routes and save lives.
The economic rationale is clear: making all seaports operational will create jobs, enhance trade efficiency, and boost national revenue. It will also help diversify economic activity away from the overburdened South West, spreading prosperity more evenly across the federation.
Decentralisation is both an economic strategy and an act of national renewal. When Onne, Warri, and Calabar ports operate optimally, hinterland states benefit through increased trade and infrastructure development. The federal purse, too, gains through taxes, duties, and improved productivity.
Tin Can Island, already bursting at the seams, exemplifies the perils of over-centralisation. Ships face berthing delays, containers stack up, and port users lose valuable hours navigating chaos. The result is higher operational costs and lower competitiveness. Allowing states like Rivers to fully harness their maritime assets would reverse this trend.
Compelling all importers to use Lagos ports is an anachronistic policy that stifles innovation and local enterprise. Nigeria cannot achieve its industrial ambitions by chaining its logistics system to one congested city. The path to prosperity lies in empowering every state to develop and utilise its natural advantages — and for Rivers, that means functional seaports.
Fubara’s call should not go unheeded. The Federal Government must embrace decentralisation as a strategic necessity for national growth. Making Rivers’ seaports work is not just about reviving dormant infrastructure; it is about unlocking the full maritime potential of a nation yearning for balance, productivity, and shared prosperity.
Editorial
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