North-East governors urge restart of Borno oil exploration

The North-East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) has called on the federal government to revive the stalled oil exploration activities in Borno State, even as it commended President Bola Tinubu for the ongoing revival of the Kolmani oil drilling project in Gombe State.

Chairman of the NEGF, Babagana Zulum, also announced that N15.8 billion has been raised towards establishing the North-East Air Shuttle (NEAS), adding that the six governors in the region are expected to raise the remaining funds before the end of the year.

In a communiqué at the conclusion of its 13th regular meeting, held at the Borno Government House in Maiduguri over the weekend, the forum’s Vice Chairman and Governor of Adamawa State, Umaru Fintiri, urged the federal government to revisit petroleum exploration activities that had earlier commenced in the Magumeri and Gubio local council Areas of Borno State.

The host governor, Zulum, Governors Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa and Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe attended the meeting, while the governors of Bauchi, Taraba and Yobe states were represented by their deputies.

Reflecting on its six-year journey since its inaugural meeting in Gombe in March 2020, the forum touted regional unity as its most significant achievement, enabling a collective voice that has driven tangible developmental results.

On energy, the governors praised member-states for shifting toward a regional energy agenda, highlighting the Dadinkowa hydropower plant, which now feeds the national grid, and encouraged states to leverage the new electricity law and abundant solar resources to expand mini-grid solutions.

Also, the forum reiterated its call on the federal government to expedite the completion of the long-neglected Mambila Hydropower Plant, following the recent clearance of legal encumbrances through an arbitration ruling.

Meanwhile, to ease transportation costs and stimulate economic activities, the forum announced a partnership with Green Ville Energy to establish more Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) stations across the region.

It also acknowledged the federal government and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) for providing 10,000 electric tricycles, 10 electric buses, and 300 electric taxis set to launch in October, alongside plans to float a North-east regional air shuttle service to facilitate faster movement of people and goods.

While acknowledging appreciable successes in the ongoing fight against insurgency, it praised the sacrifices of the Armed Forces, noting, however, that the sub-region still faces daunting humanitarian and infrastructural hurdles.