The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has resumed crude oil drilling activities at the Kolmani oil field, located along the boundary between Bauchi and Gombe states. This was revealed by Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, during a two-day interactive session in Kaduna.
The forum, held at Arewa House and organized by the Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, was aimed at evaluating the performance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in Northern Nigeria during its first year in office.
Speaking at the event, Governor Yahaya highlighted that oil companies have returned to site after a period of lengthy negotiations involving the National Security Adviser. He expressed confidence that visible progress will be seen as early as next week.
Governor Yahaya recounted how President Tinubu, then a presidential candidate, was not initially invited to the Kolmani drilling flag-off in 2022 under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. However, Yahaya said he personally pushed for Tinubu’s inclusion at the event through the APC leadership.
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“I personally invited President Tinubu to the event, and he said he would continue the project where the Buhari administration stopped. He fulfilled that promise,” the governor stated.
The NNPCL had first announced the discovery of hydrocarbon deposits in the Kolmani River II Well in October 2019. This discovery, made in the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin, marked the first successful oil exploration in Northern Nigeria.
Drilling at Kolmani officially began in 2022 under President Buhari’s government, with hopes that the project would bring lasting economic transformation to the North.
According to NNPCL, over 1 billion barrels of crude oil and 500 billion cubic feet of gas were discovered in the Kolmani area. The project has already attracted an estimated $3 billion investment, expected to generate massive employment, increase government revenue, and stimulate foreign direct investment.
With drilling now back on track, Northern Nigeria is set to witness a new wave of oil-driven development and infrastructure growth.