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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Energy & Infrastructure

FG verifies Kolmani oil field, pledges remobilisation of exploration

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The Federal Government pledged to resume exploration activities at the Kolmani Oil Field in Bauchi State.
  • Muhammad Bello, Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, visited the site to assess its status and advocate for continuation.
  • Exploration activities at the field have been halted since July 2025, prompting the commission's visit to ensure the project's revival.

The Federal Government has committed to facilitating the remobilization of exploration activities at the Kolmani Oil Field in Bauchi State. Muhammad Bello, Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), made this pledge during a verification visit to the oil field on Monday.

We want the momentum of the project that was started in 2023 to return. We want to come and verify for ourselves what is going on so that we can advocate for this project, this important project, to continue, so that the people of the North-East of Nigeria can further benefit.

— Muhammad BelloExplaining the purpose of the verification visit to the Kolmani Oil Field.

Bello stated that the commission's purpose was to assess the project's current condition and advocate for its continuation, emphasizing its significance not only for Bauchi State and the North-East region but for Nigeria as a whole. "We want the momentum of the project that was started in 2023 to return. We want to come and verify for ourselves what is going on so that we can advocate for this project, this important project, to continue, so that the people of the North-East of Nigeria can further benefit," Bello said.

We know for a fact that Mr President is very much concerned as far as this project is concerned. We know that he has assured the two governors that there will be mobilisation for the project to continue.

— Muhammad BelloReassuring that the President is committed to the project's continuation.

He assured that President Bola Tinubu is keenly interested in the project and has previously assured the state governors of renewed mobilization efforts. The RMAFC chairman indicated that the commission would review its findings and report back to relevant authorities to support the revival of exploration activities. "We will go back after assessing what type of project this is and what is going on. We will continue to follow it because we operate by committees, and we will be looking at oil and gas," he added.

We will go back after assessing what type of project this is and what is going on. We will continue to follow it because we operate by committees, and we will be looking at oil and gas.

— Muhammad BelloDescribing the commission's follow-up actions.

During an inspection of the ongoing construction of the Bauchi Oil and Gas Academy, Bello commended the state government for establishing institutions to train the necessary manpower for the oil field's operations. However, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Natural Resources, Maiwada Bello, revealed that exploration activities had ceased in July 2025. He mentioned that the state government had engaged with the technical company involved after receiving reports of the halt in operations. The commissioner expressed hope that the RMAFC's visit would lead to the resumption of activities at the Kolmani Oil Field.

When we came here, actually there was no activity. Shortly after you left, between January 2025 and somewhere around June 2025, July 2025, we received news from the host community that the company operating in this area was demobilising.

— Maiwada BelloDetailing the cessation of exploration activities.
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Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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