FG Moves to Revive Kolmani Oil Exploration After Year-Long Halt
The Chairman of RMAFC, Muhammad Bello, made the commitment on Monday during a verification visit to the oil field to assess the project’s current status and determine what is required to facilitate its continuation.
According to PUNCH, Bello said the commission’s visit was aimed at gathering firsthand information that would enable it to advocate for the resumption of the project, which he described as strategically important to Bauchi State, the North-East and Nigeria as a whole.
He said, “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 added that President Bola Tinubu was concerned about the project and had assured the governors of Bauchi and Gombe states that mobilisation would be provided to enable work to resume.
The RMAFC chairman said the commission would complete its assessment and submit its findings to the relevant authorities while continuing to monitor developments around the oil and gas project.
“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 said.
During the visit, Bello also inspected the ongoing construction of the Bauchi Oil and Gas Academy, commending the state government for developing an institution that could provide skilled manpower for the oil and gas industry when exploration activities become fully operational.
He noted that RMAFC had contributed part of the funds used to construct the academy.
Earlier, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Natural Resources, Maiwada Bello, disclosed that exploration activities at the Kolmani site had stopped around July 2025.
He said the state government became aware of the development after receiving reports from the host community that the technical company handling the project had begun demobilising from the site.
According to the commissioner, the state government subsequently formed a joint team with the relevant local government authorities and engaged the technical company to establish the reasons behind the halt in activities.
“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,” he said.
Maiwada said the RMAFC visit had renewed hopes that activities would resume at the oil field, adding that the Bauchi State Government remained committed to providing the manpower and other necessary support for the project.
“Bauchi State under the leadership of Governor Bala Mohammed is ever ready to provide every manpower needed to support the exploration,” he added.
