By Ono Yima
President Bola Tinubu has approved the issuance of critical regulatory licenses for the Kolmani Integrated Development Project — a multibillion-dollar oil exploration venture straddling Bauchi and Gombe states. The approval is seen as a key step in unlocking the potential of Nigeria’s untapped northern oil reserves.
Disclosing this at the commissioning of the permanent site of the Bauchi Oil and Gas Academy (BOGAA) in Alkaleri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, described the move as part of Tinubu’s drive to reposition Nigeria’s energy sector.
“This informed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for us to ensure that all outstanding critical regulatory licences for the Kolmani Integrated Development Project were issued,” Lokpobiri said, according to a statement by his media adviser, Nneamaka Okafor.
First inaugurated in 2022, the Kolmani project marked the beginning of oil exploration in Northern Nigeria and is located in the Kolmani River II field between Bauchi and Gombe. Last week, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) confirmed that drilling operations at the site would resume.
The minister commended the establishment of BOGAA, describing it as a strategic move to deepen human capital development in the oil and gas sector. “Given our vast fossil fuel reserves, the Federal Government, through PTDF, has continued to champion advancements in human capacity and technology,” he noted.
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, lauded the Federal Government’s support and emphasized the academy’s wider national impact. “This institution will serve as a foundation for skill acquisition and innovation that will benefit not just Bauchi State but the entire nation,” he said.
The Federal Government hopes the academy, in partnership with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), will drive sustainable development in the oil and gas industry, particularly in Nigeria’s frontier basins.