Serious tension has erupted within the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) following the circulation of a leaked draft Inter-Agency Report on Oil Wells Coordinates, which recently surfaced in sections of the media.
Credible sources within the Commission confirm that disciplinary measures have commenced, with what insiders describe as “heads beginning to roll” over allegations that the report was hurriedly produced in defiance of clear directives issued by the Commission’s Chairman.
Investigations indicate that three senior officials who allegedly played central roles in drafting and forwarding the controversial document without due process have been formally queried and subsequently reassigned from their positions. They are Hajia Dr. Khadija Kumo, Director of the Crude Oil Department; Mr. Peter Inyabri, Director of the Gas Department; and Mr. Folorunsho Aderinwale, Deputy Director in the Crude Oil Department who also served as Coordinator of the Inter-Agency Committee.
Multiple sources within the Commission allege that the team’s actions were highly compromised and inconsistent with established procedural standards guiding inter-agency technical submissions.
An insider source, who spoke to our reporters under condition of anonymity, painted a troubling picture of the situation within the Commission, stating that “the rot inside RMAFAC bureaucracy is so deep that it will require a clinical intervention to cleanse the system and restore institutional credibility.”
Further controversy surrounds the substance of the leaked draft document itself. Sources familiar with the matter allege that the report falsely reallocated what it described as “new oil wells” to Akwa Ibom State, Cross River State, and other states, in a move that has reportedly triggered sharp internal disagreements and heightened inter-state sensitivities given the implications for derivation revenue and federal allocations.
Even more damning, the draft report allegedly claimed it was the outcome of a plenary presentation and approval. However, authoritative sources within the Commission insist that this claim is false, revealing that the said plenary never held. According to insiders, disagreements during preliminary engagements led the Chairman of RMAFAC to direct the immediate suspension of further consideration and the formal service of all relevant presentations and documents to concerned parties before any plenary deliberation could take place.
Our reporters further gathered that as investigations deepen, the directors involved in what some staff have described as a “report scam” may face stiffer sanctions, including possible demotion and suspension.
The development comes against the backdrop of an earlier press statement issued by the Chairman of the Commission distancing the leadership from the leaked draft document and reaffirming commitment to due process, transparency, and institutional integrity in matters relating to oil well coordinates and revenue derivation.
Observers say the unfolding internal shake-up may have far-reaching implications, particularly given the sensitivity of oil well delineation and its direct impact on revenue distribution among oil-producing states.
