Tinubu’s Hope Agenda, Energy Reforms Shake Up Upstream Sector As Inter-Agency Report Exposes Decades Of Negligence In National Boundary Management

By Our Correspondent

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and ongoing energy sector reforms have begun to ripple through Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector, following revelations in the 2025 Inter-Agency Verification Report that point to systemic incompetence and prolonged negligence by key federal institutions charged with managing Nigeria’s national boundaries and maritime assets.

Senior government sources say the report has uncovered serious administrative failures in the handling of Nigeria’s international maritime boundaries with Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, which have remained undemarcated for over two decades after the 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment on Bakassi.

According to findings emerging from the Inter-Agency Committee’s work, instead of concluding the legally required demarcation of Nigeria’s international maritime boundaries and the internal maritime boundaries between coastal states, reliance was placed on a provisional “Oil Dichotomy Study Model Map” produced in 2008.

The map, officials say, was repeatedly deployed as a substitute for lawful boundary demarcation, and used to allocate 76 oil wells and related derivation revenues between states, despite unresolved international boundary issues. Security analysts within government circles warn that this approach may have undermined Nigeria’s maritime security posture in the Gulf of Guinea and exposed strategic offshore assets to avoidable legal and diplomatic vulnerabilities.

The report further highlights contradictions in the cartographic positions adopted by the National Boundary Commission (NBC) over time, including the production of multiple maps between 2004 and 2008 allocating portions of the Cross River Estuary not ceded by the ICJ judgment, while later positions before the Supreme Court suggested total cession of the estuary.

The Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGoF) is also cited in the report for failing to assert and institutionalize Nigeria’s most authoritative national cartographic base for boundary-sensitive petroleum allocation exercises, a lapse that experts say weakened the scientific credibility of critical upstream decisions.

Independent media experts involved who were monitoring the verification process disclosed that the continued reliance on provisional mapping instruments, rather than internationally recognized boundary demarcation protocols and Nigeria’s official administrative maps, may have compromised national interest, particularly in areas adjoining Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

The security dimension, sources say, is not merely fiscal: unresolved maritime boundaries can weaken Nigeria’s claims in transboundary reservoir management, offshore licensing, and maritime domain awareness, with long-term implications for sovereignty and national security.
Within the Presidency, the Inter-Agency Report is understood to be feeding into a broader policy rethink under the Renewed Hope Agenda, with renewed emphasis on transparency, scientific governance, and institutional accountability in the upstream petroleum sector.

Senior aides confirm that President Tinubu has directed that boundary management, petroleum data integrity, and inter-agency coordination be treated as national security priorities, not merely technical disputes between states.

Energy policy analysts say the unfolding reforms could mark a turning point in Nigeria’s upstream governance architecture, as the administration seeks to align oil well attribution, derivation payments, and maritime boundary administration with international best practice.

If fully implemented, the recommendations flowing from the Inter-Agency Report may force long-overdue institutional reforms within boundary and surveying agencies, recalibrate Nigeria’s maritime security strategy in the Gulf of Guinea, and restore public confidence in the transparency and integrity of petroleum sector governance.