Posted by After being inaugurated by the president, exploration activities at the Kolmani Oil Field, which involved the prospecting of crude oil, have now ceased.
LEADERSHIP has learned that in November 2022, near the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, a joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the New Nigeria Development Company began drilling for crude oil in two blocks of the Kolmani Oil Field, OPL809 and OPL810, individually.
Similarly, Kolamani, which crossed the states of Bauchi and Gombe, was estimated to have 500 billion cubic feet of crude oil and a one billion barrel deposit. Initial estimates put the end of exploration on the field at 2060.
An estimated 50,000 bpd of crude oil might be produced daily from the Kolmani oil blocks.
But an anonymous Kolmani local claims that since the president’s inauguration, drilling has ceased and no real progress has been made at the site.
Nothing has happened here since we witnessed NNPCL relocate the majority of their drilling equipment to Nasarawa State almost a year ago. He stressed that Kolmani was left with almost nothing after some of the equipment was removed to Lake Chad.
Only perhaps two of Kolmani’s five oil wells have been developed.
Just like that, the passage of heavy-duty machinery caused a bridge connecting Kolmani settlements to the outside world to crumble.
We are hopeful that exploratory operations can resume soon as we saw Sterling Global workers attempting to repair the bridge a few days ago. As I speak with you, a crane can be seen trying to raise the bridge beams, therefore they must have fixed the pillars of the bridge, he added.
The Kolmani Oil Field increases proactive security measures in terms of provisions. Groups of soldiers and members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) guard the region.
When asked about the decision to end oil exploration in Kolmani, neither the NNPCL nor the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources provided any comments.
We Have Created a Setting That Allows for Efficient Functioning – Bauchi Government
In order to speed up the process of exploring for crude oil in Kolmani, officials from Bauchi have been in contact with appropriate federal government stakeholders, according to Bello Maiwada, the state’s commissioner for natural resources.
We don’t have anything to say on the subject of crude oil exploration because it falls under the exclusive purview of the federal government.
But as the host town, we have a vested interest in the outcome as a state. “This is going to be the starting point for pretty much all of our moves,” he declared.
According to the commissioner, the Bauchi State Government has created the necessary conditions for large-scale crude oil exploration, but there has been no notable advancement since former President Muhammadu Buhari started drilling at Kolmani.
With proper security measures in place, the corporation responsible for developing the field can work and move freely in the region, ensuring the safety of their workers and equipment.