Korede Abdullah 
OGUN, Nigeria – The Ogun State Government dismisses claims by neighbouring Ondo State that an oil well on Eba Island falls within Ondo territory, warning that the assertion risks fuelling unnecessary communal tension.
Responding on Sunday, the Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, says the oil well approved for drilling is located “squarely within Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State”.
Akinmade clarifies that two locations bear the name “Eba”, noting that while one lies near Ondo State’s forest reserve, the Eba Island hosting the oil well sits entirely within Ogun State’s coastal corridor.
“Nigeria’s inter-state boundaries are constitutionally defined and well documented by the National Boundary Commission,” he says, adding that official maps and records clearly place Eba Island in Ogun State.
He stresses that since 1976, no constitutional amendment, court ruling or federal gazette alters the boundary placing Eba Island outside Ogun. According to him, presidential approval for drilling follows extensive due diligence by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other federal agencies, all of which recognise Ogun as the host state.
Akinmade also cites security deployments around the site, lease agreements, survey plans linked to the Olokola Free Trade Zone and Independent National Electoral Commission records showing Eba polling units registered under Ogun Waterside.
He dismisses contrary claims as based on outdated colonial-era documents and urges restraint.
“We remain committed to peace, the rule of law and cooperation with the Federal Government,” he says, adding that Makun-Omi Kingdom leaders pledge calm.
Ondo State maintains a different stance. Its governor’s adviser on communication, Allen Sowore, insists the oil deposit lies in Ilaje Local Government Area and calls on the National Boundary Commission to publish authoritative records to settle the dispute.
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Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
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