OIL EXPLORATION: Governor Ododo Seeks Partnership to accelerate investment …as FG reaffirms Kogi an oil producing state

By Iyojo Ameh

Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo has called for collaboration between the state and the federal government towards accelerating investment in the exploration of oil resources in the state.

Governor Ododo made the call on Thursday, when he paid a working visit to the minister of state petroleum resources (oil) Senator Heineken Lokpobiri in Abuja.

While restating his administration’s commitment to providing enabling environment for investors and their investments, Governor Ododo 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.

On his part, the minister of state for petroleum resources (oil) Senator Heineken Lokpobiri reaffirmed the status of Kogi as an oil producing state and pledged the commitment of the federal government towards mobilizing investments to explore the huge oil deposits in Kogi State.

The minister 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.

The minister 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.