There are indications that Bauchi and Gombe States would sooner or later become oil producing states following the inauguration of drilling site at the Kolmani River-II well, located at Barambu, a border village between both states by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari while inaugurating the project on Saturday reiterated his administration’s commitment to intensify oil explorations in the country’s frontier basins for a prosperous economy and balanced resources distribution of the nation’s wealth.
The president said the “spud-in of Kolmani River-II well, part of the Gongola Basin, Upper Benue Trough was part of his next level agenda to make Nigeria an industrial economy.
“Today’s event is not only a reflection of our success story but a landmark of promise kept to the Nigerian people. Our next level is to ensure exploration effort in all our frontier Basins of Lake Chad, Gongola, Anambra, Sokoto, Dahomey and Bida Basins, as well as Benue Trough are intensified to usher in more prospects in Nigeria,” he said.
The president who was accompanied by Governors Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi and his Gombe counterpart Ibrahim Dankwambo, noted that oil and gas remained critical part of the country’s economy and as such must continue to show commitment to its sustainability.
“I pay tribute to the university researchers who lost their lives to the regrettable incident. I commend the security personnel who continue to make sacrifice for the conduct of exploration throughout the country,” he added.
The president, however, said that activities would soon return to the Chad Basin but charged the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to ensure the ongoing exploration in commercial quantity.