There’s good news for host communities around the Kolmani oil project site, as government officials have confirmed that oil exploration activities are still very much ongoing. This follows growing concerns from residents over the recent removal of a drilling rig from the area.

To calm fears, the Gombe State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Sunusi Ahmad Pindiga, led a high-level team from both Gombe and Bauchi States to inspect the site firsthand. The visit came after reports from locals that some equipment had been moved away.

Pindiga explained that the removed rig had already completed its assignment and was no longer needed for the next stage of operations. “The rig that was taken out was a smaller one and had finished over 10,000 meters of drilling,” he said. “We now need a bigger rig for the next phase involving deeper wells — KR 2, KR 3, and KR 4.”

The delegation was received by the drilling company AOML and officials from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), who assured that the project is progressing as planned.

So far, two oil wells have been successfully completed with confirmed deposits straddling both Gombe and Bauchi States. Three more wells have also been drilled on the Gombe side, and work is ongoing in Bauchi where land preparation and casing have been done in readiness for the larger rig.

Pindiga encouraged residents to remain calm and trust the process, stressing that the project has not been abandoned. The Kolmani oil field, which straddles Gombe and Bauchi, is a major development for northern Nigeria’s oil ambitions — and officials say all signs show it’s still firmly on track.