By Abubakar Yunusa
Though late President Muhammadu Buhari officially flagged off oil exploration in the Benue Trough of the Kolmani fields in Bauchi State, activities at the site had since stopped and exploration activities halted, the present administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reiterated interest in the project.
Consequently, the Federal Government has pledged to facilitate the remobilisation of exploration activities at the Kolmani Oil Field, as declared by the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Muhammad Bello, on Monday during a verification visit to the oil field.
Muhammad Bello said that the Commission was at the site to assess the current state of the project and advocate for its continuation, describing the development as important not only to Bauchi State and the North-East but to the entire country.
According to him, “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, not much of the North-East of Nigeria, can further benefit.”
The RMAFC Chairman stressed that, “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 of Bauchi and Gombe States that there will be mobilisation for the project to continue.”
The RMAFC Chairman also said that the Commission would assess the project and report back to the relevant authorities to support efforts aimed at reviving the exploration activities.
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 Bello, while on an inspection to the ongoing construction of the Bauchi Oil and Gas Academy, also commended the Bauchi State Government for establishing institutions that could provide the manpower required to support the project when exploration becomes fully operational.
Earlier, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Natural Resources, Maiwada Bello, said exploration activities at the site had stopped since July 2025.
He explained that the state government had engaged the technical company handling the project after receiving reports that activities had stopped at the site.
Maiwada Bello also said, “When we came here, actually there was no activity. Shortly after you left, between January 2025 to somewhere around June 2025, July 2025, we received news from the host community that the company operating in this area was demobilising.”
According to him, “So we formed a kind of joint team between the state and the local government. We met with the technical company handling this project and discussed with them.”
The Commissioner further said that the visit by the Commission had raised hopes that activities would resume at the oil field.
He said the Bauchi State Government, under Governor Bala Mohammed, remained ready to provide the manpower and other support required to facilitate the exploration project.
He added, “Bauchi State under the leadership of Governor Bala Mohammed is ever ready to provide every manpower needed to support the exploration.”
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