Buhari to witness first crude oil drilling in Northern Nigeria

President Muhammadu will be present when the validation phase of the first integrated Oil Development project in Northern Nigeria commences on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.

According to an official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the drilling activities will take place at the Kolmani OPLs 809 and 810 exploration sites located in a border community between Bauchi and Gombe states.

The Punch quoted an NNPC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying that, “The President is expected at the site on Tuesday to witness the first drilling of crude in the north, which is going to further boost our production as a nation."

Recall that Buhari had in February 2019 flagged off the landmark spud-in ceremony of Kolmani River II Well and in October of same year, the NNCP announced discovery of crude oil, gas and condensate deposits at the site.

This marks the first oil discovery in commercial quantity in Northern Nigeria after eight months of crude oil exploration on the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin in the North-East.

Pulse reports that the national oil company had stated that it acquired 435.54km2 of 3D Seismic Data over Kolmani Prospect in the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin.