President Muhammadu Buhari has said the drilling of oil at the Kolmani field nestled between Gombe and Bauchi has attracted $3bn investments to Nigeria.
Buhari, who made the disclosure on Tuesday shortly before he flagged off the oil facility, said the country is able to attract the investment despite the decline in funding for fossil energy.
The president also said more oil discoveries were ongoing in the Anambra basin, lower Benue trough and other areas of the country.
“This discovery had emanated from our charge to the NNPC to re-strategize and expand its oil and gas exploration footprints to the frontier basins of Anambra, Dahomey, Sokoto, Benue trough, Chad and Bida Basins. Similar activities across the other basins are currently actively on-going.”
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“We are pleased with the current discovery of over 1 billion barrels of oil reserves and 500 billion Cubic Feet of Gas within the Kolmani area and the huge potentials for more deposits as we intensify exploration efforts.
“It is therefore to the credit of this administration that at a time when there is near zero appetite for investment in fossil energy, coupled with the location challenges, we are able attract investment of over USD 3 billion to this project,” he stated.
On utilising the Komani field, Buhari said: “As a fully integrated in-situ development project comprising upstream production, oil refining, power generation and fertilizer, the project promises many benefits for the nation. This includes but not limited to Energy security, Financial Security, Food security as well as overall socio-economic development for the country.”
He also said the governors of Bauchi and Gombe States have given assurances of their unwavering commitment and willingness to ensure support and cooperation in these localities as this activity affects the local populations.