Approval of President Tinubu to commence drilling oil well stirs clash between Ogun and Ondo states over Eba Island
By Elegbede Abiodun
Rumours of oppositions have escalated between Ogun State and Ondo State over the ownership of Eba Island since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given approval of oil drilling activities at an abandoned well located on the oil-rich island in the South-West.
The Ogun State Government reaffirmed its claim over Eba Island, located in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, dismissing competing assertions by Ondo State as misleading and potentially inflammatory.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said Eba Island falls squarely within Ogun State based on historical, legal and administrative records.
Kayode Akinmade said constitutionally defined boundaries, as documented by the National Boundary Commission, clearly place Eba Island within Ogun Waterside Local Government Area.
He described recent claims from Ondo State as capable of provoking avoidable communal tension.
“The Eba Island, where the approved oil well is located, falls squarely within Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State,” Akinmade said, adding that official boundary maps and records support the position.
According to the Ogun government, Eba is a long-established coastal community whose status predates Nigeria’s independence and remained unchanged after successive political reorganisations, including the 1976 state creation exercise.
Akinmade said no constitutional amendment, judicial ruling or federal gazette has altered the boundary placing Eba Island outside Ogun State since 1976.
He further clarified that two locations bear the name “Eba”, noting that while one lies near the Ondo State forest reserve, the larger Eba Island where drilling was approved lies entirely within Ogun State’s coastal corridor.
The Ogun government said federal approval for the drilling followed extensive due diligence by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other agencies, which confirmed the site’s location within Ogun State.
Akinmade added that the deployment of naval and other security assets around the drilling site demonstrated federal recognition of Ogun State as the host state.
Providing historical context, Ogun State said that in October 2024, the Molokun of Atijere in Ondo State formally sought permission from the Osobia of Makun-Omi in Ogun Waterside to conduct business activities on Eba Island. The request was declined and reported to state and federal authorities.
Ogun described the engagement as a tacit acknowledgement of its jurisdiction over the island and rejected reliance on colonial documents from 1919 and 1920, citing later gazettes, survey plans and electoral records recognising Eba Island as part of Ogun State.
However, Ondo State rejected Ogun’s claims, insisting that Eba Island belongs to Atijere in Ilaje Local Government Area.
In a separate statement, the Special Adviser to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Communication and Strategy, Allen Sowore, accused Ogun State of issuing misleading public statements on the matter.
Allen Sowore said mineral resources, including oil wells, belong to the Federal Government under the 1999 Constitution, stressing that territorial claims must be supported by historical records and legal determination.
He maintained that the oil deposit is located within Atijere, Ondo State, adding that Ilaje communities have occupied the area since at least 1937.
Sowore said River Ufara serves as a natural boundary between Ilaje and Ijebu lands and warned against attempts to misrepresent facts to federal authorities.
The Ondo State Government called on the National Boundary Commission and relevant federal agencies to release authoritative records to decisively resolve the Eba Island oil dispute.
