A prominent legal expert, Dr. Akpo Mudiaga-Odje, has weighed in on the ongoing debate about oil ownership in Nigeria. He asserts that the size of a state's landmass does not necessarily determine its claim to oil resources. This statement comes as a response to a Northern leader's assertion that the North owns 78 percent of Nigeria's crude oil due to its larger landmass.
Dr. Mudiaga-Odje, a respected constitutional lawyer and facilitator of the Niger Delta Democratic Union, argues that the ownership of oil resources is not tied to the size of a state's landmass. He emphasizes that the exploration of oil from onshore areas does not automatically grant ownership rights over offshore oil resources. Instead, he suggests that the oil resources are vested in the states where they are located, specifically the Niger Delta region.
Vanguard reported that, The legal expert's stance is based on a previous court case where he played a key role. As the secretary of the legal team for Delta State, he helped prepare a counter-claim that ultimately led to the nullification of the practice of paying first-line charges from the Federation Account before paying 13% derivation to the states of the Niger Delta.
Dr. Mudiaga-Odje's argument is that the only instance where landmass is considered relevant is in sharing revenue from the Federation Account, as stated in Section 162 of the Constitution. He also highlights that each state in the Nigerian nation has its unique mineral resources, which they should be able to harvest, develop, and sell freely under resource control.
This stance has sparked a heated debate, with some stakeholders in the South-South region praising Dr. Mudiaga-Odje's position. They argue that the North's claim to oil ownership based on landmass is unfounded and misinformed. On the other hand, some Northern leaders have criticized Dr. Mudiaga-Odje's views, insisting that their region has a rightful claim to the oil resources.