Mohammed Shosanya
The Federal Government has pledged its commitment towards mobilizing investments to explore the huge oil deposits in Kogi State.
The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who revealed this when he hosted Kogi Governor, Usman Ododo,on Thursday, reaffirmed the status of Kogi as an oil producing state.
He stated that the Petroleum Industry Act mandates the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to explore frontier basins and pledged the federal government’s determination to deploy funds to unlock new discoveries and exploration of oil in Nigeria.
He also commended Governor Ododo for his giant strides in providing good governance to the people of the state.
Kogi State became the first oil producing state in Northern Nigeria following the affirmation of the discovery of oil in commercial quantities by the federal government in 2022.
Earlier,the Governor called on the Federal Government for support in exploring petroleum and other natural resources in the state.
He assured thst issues of security and infrastructure have been adequately addressed making the state is ready for investments.
He emphasized Kogi’s strategic location and abundant resources, which position it as a potential hub for energy development among being oil producing states in the country.
He highlighted the need for partnerships to attract investments in oil exploration, aiming to boost the state’s economy and create jobs, assuring that his team is working towards harnessing the state’s resources for sustainable development for the people of Kogi State
He expressed willingness of the Kogi State government to cooperate with the federal government to ensure that oil exploration in the state comes on stream in line with the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to pursue oil exploration in the frontier basins in Nigeria.
