The Bauchi State Commissioner of Natural Resources and Solid Minerals Alhaji Mohammed A Bello and Gombe State Commissioner of Energy and Solid Minerals Alhaji Sanusi Ahmed Pindiga have urged the Federal Government to commence full-scale lifting of crude oil from the Kolmani Integrated Oil Filed whuch was inaugurated more than two years ago.
The two commissioners spoke separately when they interacted with journalists separately in their offices, noting that though anything solid mineral is under the exclusive list of the Federal Government, the Bauchi and Gombe state governors are doing their best to ensure that the company responsible for the project returned to the site.
They said recent visit of the Crude Oil Monitoring Committee of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) raised their hope in ending the delay in the actualisation of full-scale lifting of crude oil from the Kolmani oil field.
Bello said during their recent visit the company Starling Global returned some of uts engines and equipment to the site which is a good signal that work will resume on the site.
He said already the state government is building Alkaleri Academy where locals will be trained with all the skills needed by the oil exploration companies.
He said Governor Bala Mohammed will sponsor some people living around Kolmani to go and learn Chinese language in China to enable them.work with the Chinese firm that will work in oil companies.
On his part Gombe State Commissioner of Energy and Solid Minerals Pindiga said Governor Inuwa Yahaya has approved the construction of roads and provided all the needed infrastructure that will make the living condition of the communities in Kolmani area better.
The two commissioners assured that they are working to establish host communities association so that through the associations states will have a say in the project according to the law.
They assured the continued wholistic support of their state governors to see the full actualization of Kolmani Integrated Oil Filed be it security, social amenities and logistics.
More than two years after its inauguration by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in partnership with New Nigeria Development Company NNDC drilled two oil blocks OPL809 and OPL810 accordingly at Kolmani.
The two blocks transcend neighbouring Bauchi and Gombe States. NNPCL had engaged Sterling Global to continue with exploration, lifting crude oil and developing the Kolmani Oil Field.
During the RMAFCs visit, an engineer with Sterling Global, Abdulhamid Aminu, said the present efforts are being channelled to drilling two additional wells that would feed the already drilled PL809 and OPL810 before the lifting of crude oil from the site would commence.
When pressed to give a probable timeline for the completion of the drilling of the two wells, Aminu said the two feeder wells should be ready by March next year.
He said Sterling Global would recruit about 13 staff from the local communities as part of its corporate social responsibility.
Aminu also identified areas of education and health for other social responsibility projects for the residents of the host communities.
