NNPC to resume oil drilling in Northern Nigeria, speaks on feud with Dangote refinery

The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Bayo Ojulari, said the crude oil drilling project in the boundary of Bauchi and Gombe states will resume in June.

Mr Ojulari said this in an interview on Monday on the BBC Hausa Service broadcast. He said the oil drilling and the AKK gas pipeline projects are critical to the economy, and the company would resume work in the field.

“NNPC will continue oil drilling in the Kolmani field and will continue the work on the AKK gas pipeline from Ajaokuta to Kaduna to Kano. The companies working on the projects will continue, and new ones are also welcome.

“The projects are critical in boosting the economy and the impact will be felt by all Nigerians. By next month, people will begin to see. We will start work on the AKK gas pipeline and the Kalmoni, Insha Allah,” Mr Ojulari said.

The Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project is a 614-kilometre pipeline that will transport natural gas from Ajaokuta to Kano, with intermediate points in Abuja, Kaduna, and Zaria.

The NNPC announced in October 2019 the discovery of hydrocarbon deposits in the Kolmani River II Well on the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin, in the North-eastern part of the country.

The Nigerian government flagged off the oil drilling at the Kolmani in 2022 in commercial quantities, the first in the region after several crude oil explorations in the Upper Benue Trough.

The discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities in the Gongola Basin, according to the NNPC, will attract foreign investment, generate employment for people to earn income and increase government revenues.

The government said over a billion barrels of oil and 500 billion cubic feet of gas were found within the Kolmani area of Gombe and Bauchi, and that the discovery had already attracted $3 billion investment.

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Dangote refinery

Mr Ojulari also said the NNPC has resolved its feud with the Dangote refinery.

“We, as Nigerians, must hail Dangote’s courageous efforts. Whatever he is investing, he is doing it in Africa. We have addressed the feud between the NNPC and the Dangote Refinery. Very soon, people will start seeing the impact.

“We are cooperating, and better days are ahead. Marketers will buy fuel at the refinery any time they want. If there are any obstacles, we will address them. It won’t be in the news anymore that NNPP and Dangote are fighting; now, we are working together for the interests of Nigerians.”