When Bayo Ojulari, the newly appointed Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, announced that preparations were underway to restart crude oil exploration at the Kolmani oil field on the Bauchi-Gombe border, the news was met with applause. After all, the northern region has long been touted as Nigeria’s next oil frontier. But beneath the celebration lies a troubling reality: over $3 billion has already been spent on exploration in northern basins — Kolmani, Chad, Upper Benue, with little to show for it.
Kelvin Emman
When Bayo Ojulari, the newly appointed Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, announced that preparations were underway to restart crude oil exploration at the Kolmani oil field on the Bauchi-Gombe border, the news was met with applause. After all, the northern region has long been touted as Nigeria’s next oil frontier. But beneath the celebration lies a troubling reality: over $3 billion has already been spent on exploration in northern basins — Kolmani, Chad, Upper Benue, with little to show for it.
Kelvin Emman
