Stalled Kolmani project: Gombe gov seeks presidential intervention

The Governor of Gombe State and Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF), Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has met with President Bola Tinubu and called for his intervention in the abandoned Kolmanin oil field project.

The governor, who discussed developments in the country with President Tinubu, especially about the economy and food security, said he was satisfied and convinced that the president was on the right track, was aware of the challenges and was committed to seeing Nigeria out of the current situation.

Addressing state house reporters shortly after meeting with the president, Inuwa expressed the commitment of his administration to supporting the federal government in all its initiatives targeted at enhancing agricultural productivity for sustained food security in the state.

Responding to a question about the Kolmani Integrated Development Project, the governor lamented that its lack of progress almost two years after it was flagged off was frustrating, revealing that it was part of the reasons he met with the president.

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He said, “The lack of progress on the Kolmani project is really a very unfortunate development. As you said, close to two years now after the foundation laying for an integrated development comprising of 250,000 capacity refinery, 350MW power plant and 2,000-tonne capacity fertiliser plant which were supposed to take off since then, but because, I think, there are some issues with the NNPCL and the partners that were engaged, or developers. Those issues really have strangled operations to take off.

“And in fact, it is part of the discussion I had with Mr President, believing that once he steps in, maybe we will see activities back for the fact that petroleum and gas are under the exclusive list; not much we can do.”

“NNPCL is the only company that is to handle anything gas or petroleum in Nigeria and as such presidential intervention, which I just came and sought for, will really make things turn back and activities will resume on the site as soon as possible.”