MINISTER OF JUSTICE WARNS AGAINST CALLS FOR ABROGATION OF ONSHORE/OFFSHORE OIL DICHOTOMY

Minister of Justice Mohammed Adoke

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN) has warned against calls for the abrogation of onshore/offshore oil dichotomy in the allocation of federal revenue. Adoke gave the warning at a valedictory session in honour of retired Justice Francis Tabai of the Supreme Court in Abuja.

Adoke stressed that the public must avoid overheating the polity through the current debates on the desirability or otherwise of re-opening the issue bordering on the sharing formula. He was emphatic when he said, “One notes with grave concern the recent deliberate attempt to resurrect this debate and elevate it to the level of urgent national issue,”.

The Attorney - General warned that the matter had the potential to generate acrimonious wrangling within the polity. According to him, the issue has been foreclosed in view of the judicial determination in the past. He said the Supreme Court had ruled that the Principle of Derivation Act of 2004 was not in conflict with the 1999 Constitution.