Continental shelf: Nigeria gains additional territory as Tinubu receives committe’s report

By Egena Sunday Ode

President Bola Tinubu has received the report of the High Powered Presidential Committee (HPPC) on Nigeria’s Extended Continental Shelf Project with a commendation to the team of experts who worked hard over the years to advance the project.
The project aims aims to extend Nigeria’s maritime boundaries in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to him, the President expressed his appreciation on Tuesday in Abuja after listening to technical presentations by Professor Larry Awosika, a marine scientist and member of the Committee, and Surveyor Aliyu Omar, Secretary of the HPPC.
The experts have been involved in the project since Nigeria’s initial submission to extend its continental shelf to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in 2009, the statement noted.
They informed the President that the UN has approved Nigeria’s submission, granting sovereignty over additional square kilometres of maritime territory.
‘’When the HPPC briefed former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022 on the status of the project, the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) was still considering Nigeria’s submission and having technical interactions with the HPPC.
‘’These interactions and consideration have now culminated in the approval for Nigeria to extend its continental shelf beyond 200M (200 nautical miles).
‘’As it stands now, the area approved for Nigeria is about 16,300 square kilometres, which is about five times the size of Lagos State,’’ Surveyor Omar told the President.
He added that the official notification of the decision was conveyed to Nigeria by the UN Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in August 2023, shortly after President Tinubu assumed office.
Omar outlined the available options for Nigeria following the approval:
‘’The first option is to take the area gained and finalize the registration with the UN Secretary-General and close everything, meaning that we are satisfied with what we got. This will take at least one year.”