Members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly (BAHA) have raised concerns over the sudden suspension of crude oil exploration at the Kolmani oil field, a border community between Bauchi and Gombe states.
WikkiTimes reports that in the twilight of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, precisely November 2022, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in partnership with New Nigeria Development Company started drilling crude oil at two oil blocks in Kolmani Oil Filed, OPL809 and OPL810 accordingly.
Similarly, the projection of crude oil deposits in Kolamani, which traversed both Bauchi and Gombe, was pegged at about one billion barrels of crude oil deposit and about 500bcf. Exploration on the field was expected to last up to 2060. Daily, Kolmani oil blocks were projected to generate about 50,000 barrels of crude oil.
Speaking while presenting a motion during the plenary of the House, the member representing Ningi Central who is also the Speaker of the House, Abubakar Suleiman urged the Bauhci State Government to liaise with all relevant stakeholders at the federal government level to resume crude oil exploration in Kolmani River.
He observed with concern that the drilling on the Kolmani site was suspended since the exit of former President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that nothing tangible has been done so far.
The Speaker said last year, that the NNPCL moved most of the drilling equipment to Nasarawa State and Lake Chad thereby halting exploration at Kolmani.
Suleiman in his prayers enjoined both Bauchi and Gombe state houses of assembly to constitute a joint committee to visit the minister of petroleum resources, NNPCL and North East Development Commission (NEDC) to find out why activities stopped on the site and request for immediate resumption of the activities.
