Sultan Never Claimed He Owns 23 Oil Wells

Our investigation found that this claim is false.

First, a check on major news platforms shows that this story is nowhere to be found. For a story of such magnitude, one would expect to see major news platforms also reporting it, but this is not so.

Secondly, a check on the originating platform which is quoted in the viral tweet shows that it is not a domain to trust. A careful examination of the content of the story reveals a clear attempt to misinform. While the headline of the story claims the Sultan said he has 23 oil wells, the writer reveals in the body of the story that the claim was actually made by the self appointed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu. 

Thirdly, the event being referenced in the story took place in 2019 as reported by Sahara Reporters here, and nowhere is it recorded that the Sultan make such a statement. The Sultan’s most recent outing was for the launch of the book Islam in Yorubaland: History, Education and Culture, by Muslim Ummah of South-West Nigeria in Lagos and such statements never came up there.

A further check reveals that this particular claim has been in circulation since the 2019 event where the Sultan spoke in favor of one indivisible Nigeria. His remarks have since been manipulated as these Facebook posts and Radio Biafra Freedom story shows.

While it is common knowledge that successive administrations do award oil blocks to their allies and notable individuals in the society as a form of ‘settlement’, there is no evidence to support the claim that the Sultan owns any oil wells at all.

The Niger Delta region has been the mainstay of crude oil generation. Who really should manage these resources has been steadily debated for years. Many have argued that the federal government's authority over natural resources in different regions is unethical, and contend that locals should have the power to manage their own resources.