Following the discovery of oil wells in the North, a tussle of ownership has ensued between the Bauchi State Government and its Gombe counterpart.
According to The PUNCH, officials of both states have accused one another of trying to take control of the location, which is said to hold 500 billion standard cubic feet of gas and one billion barrels of crude oil reserves.
The development is coming barely two weeks after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), inaugurated oil exploration at the Kolmani oil field by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited and its joint venture partners.
According to reports, Kolmani in North-East Nigeria has oil in commercial quantities. Kolmani One, Two, Three, Four, and Five are all covered by Oil Prospecting Licences 809 and 810.
While claiming ownership of the facility, the Special Adviser to Gombe State Governor on Information Management and Strategy, Alhaji Ahmed Gara-Gombe, blamed the boundary commission for the controversy.
He stated, “The truth of the matter is that the Kolmani oil well is in Gombe State; Akko Local Government, Pindiga emirate, Tai district, Kaltanga Mamuda ward. It has nothing to do with Bauchi State or Alkaleri Local Government.
“If putting the records straight is what is seen as a crisis, so be it. The National Boundary Commission, the NNPC are hypocrites in this matter, they know the truth and they should come out clean.”
Also, the Commissioner for Information, Bauchi State, Yakubu Ningi, said that the state government would consult widely before making its position on the matter known to the public.
He said, “Although the governor has been invited to speak on the matter on a television programme, he did not go because he realised that the matter is taking a different dimension.
“He wants to have wider consultations after which the Bauchi State government’s position on the matter will be made public. His Excellency said you’ll need to give us some time to articulate our position before going to press later on.”
