An oil discovery on Eba Island has ignited a bitter dispute between communities in Ogun and Ondo states, with traditional rulers and community leaders from both sides staking competing claims to the resource-rich land.
The controversy erupted after the Ogun State Government announced that President Bola Tinubu had approved the commencement of commercial oil drilling in the region, a statement that has since generated confusion over the exact location of the project.
On Sunday, Oba Samuel Adeoye, the Molokun of Atijere Kingdom in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, affirmed that Eba Island, the site of the proposed oil exploration, lies within his kingdom’s territory.
“The people of Atijere would do everything legitimate to ensure they are not displaced from the site,” Oba Adeoye told our correspondent, insisting that Eba Island “belongs to his kingdom.”
The dispute was triggered after the Ogun State Government released a statement quoting Governor Dapo Abiodun, saying President Tinubu approved oil drilling at Tongeji Island in Ipokia Local Government Area. The government later corrected itself, stating the approved location is actually Eba in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area.
While this clarification did little to quell local concerns, it set the stage for a tense showdown between residents and traditional leaders from both states.
Earlier in the week, Oba Kazeem Salami, the traditional ruler of Makun Omi in Ogun Waterside, through his spokesman Gbenga Onayiga, welcomed the news of the presidential approval.
According to Onayiga, the nod from the presidency would help the community and Ogun State realize “their long-standing aspiration of producing crude oil,” promising that commercial drilling would “ensure inclusivity and empower the people of Makun Omi and neighbouring coastal communities.” He also gave assurances that Makun Omi would provide “a peaceful environment for seamless oil production.”
Oba Adeoye, however, strongly disputed the Ogun claim, saying historical documents clearly show Eba Island has always been part of Atijere territory.
“From time immemorial, Eba Island has been under the control of Atijere…The Baale (local chief) there was installed by me. This is the third Baale we have there now. The village has been there as far back as 1937,” he said, stressing that Atijere people remain on the land “doing farming, fishing, and trading.”
He further noted, “Evidence and documentation are there to prove all this, but because the Atijere people don’t have people in the government, nobody is ready to help us. That place doesn’t belong to Makun Omi. In fact, the proximity of Atijere to that place and the proximity of that place to Makun Omi are far different.”
Adeoye has vowed to mobilise protests and oppose any drilling that ignores the community’s territorial claims.
“We are going to protest. We will take the protest anywhere heavily. We will not allow any exploration to happen there… The Federal Government must listen to us,” he said, urging federal authorities to “conduct a thorough investigation to determine the owner of that place.”
He also claimed that the oil site “falls even inside the Ondo State Forest Reserve.”
The Ondo monarch described himself as “peace-loving,” and said he has historically been involved in settling boundary disputes with his Ogun counterpart.
In a broader appeal, Oba Adeoye urged the Federal Government to prioritise oil exploration at Tongeji Island, a site he warned might be lost to the Republic of Benin if action is not taken swiftly.
“It is long overdue that the government should have commenced exploration on Tongeji Island because the Republic of Benin is also dragging that place with the Nigerian government…So, it is better for the Government of Nigeria to commence immediate exploration in that area,” he added.
Supporting the traditional ruler’s stance, Prince Orimisan Bolaji, an indigene of the Atijere community, rejected the Ogun claim outright.
“Historical records and Ondo State Government documents confirm Eba Island’s affiliation with the Atijere Kingdom. We urge the public to disregard any claims suggesting otherwise…Eba Island is part of the Atijere Kingdom, Ondo State, no debate,” Bolaji asserted.
He characterised the Ogun position as an act of “territorial overreach” and called on both government and public stakeholders to respect established boundaries.
Reacting to the unfolding dispute, the Ogun State Government insisted that Eba Island is located within Ogun Waterside Local Government.
“What we know is that Eba, the place where oil was discovered in commercial quantity, is in Ogun State, and there have been so many studies even before today… According to the Nigerian map and everything, the area is in Ogun Waterside Local Government of Ogun State,” said Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy.
Akinmade dismissed the traditional ruler’s claims as irrelevant to the state’s legal authority.
Asking rhetorically, “Is the Oba the state? If you are telling me now that the Ondo State Government is contesting, that is a different ball game.”
He also clarified that oil exploration is under federal jurisdiction, noting that the presidential directive, not the Ogun State Government, governs the drilling project.
Beyond the inter-state claims, residents in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun have separately protested what they described as government “confusion” over oil drilling sites, following conflicting announcements about locations approved for exploration.
