Governor Inuwa Restates Commitment To Push For Oil Exploitation In Kolmani Area

By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has assured that his administration will not relent in pushing for the actualisation of exploitation of the already discovered oil in Kolmani area of Pindiga Emirate of Gombe State.  
This was contained in a statement signed by the Director-General (Press Affairs) Government House Gombe, Ismaila Uba Misilli, dated Saturday March 5, 2022.
Governor Inuwa stated this at a civic reception organised in honour of the retired Acting Chief Judge of Gombe State,  Hon. Justice Muazu Abdulkadir Pindiga, held at Pindiga, Akko local government area. 
He explained that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC through the Frontier Exploration Division of the agency has injected a lot of resources and that a significant quantity of oil that is commercially viable, to the tune of over 6 billion barrels, has been found in the Kolmani area. 
He said he had on several occasions visited the corporate headquarters of the NNPC and also met with President  Muhammadu Buhari to interface with them on how best the state can benefit from the oil and gas deposits in the state. 
He however,  noted that “But for the economic crunch experienced lately, occasioned by Covid-19, the Federal Government had concluded plans to begin the exploitation of the over 6 billion barrels of crude oil in the area; but I assure you this will happen, and I am committed to seeing to that”. 
During the occasion, Governor Inuwa tasked the immediate past Acting Chief Judge of Gombe State, Justice Muazu Pindiga not to jettison his fine and exceptional characters that distinguish him as a forthright judge in the temple of justice. 
The Governor expressed optimism that the retirement of Justice Muazu Pindiga will further provide opportunity for him to continue doing more for the good of his immediate community of Pindiga, the State and the Country as a whole. 
The Governor thanked the people of Pindiga Emirate for their steadfastness in supporting his administration’s policies and programmes, assuring them that the State Government under his leadership will reciprocate the gesture by continually implementing programmes that have social and economic value to the people. 
The chairman of the occasion and former minister of transport, Sen. Abdullahi Idris Umar thanked Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for standing tall towards the actualization of the full oil exploitation in Kolmani of Pindiga Emirate. 
He also expressed gratitude to the Emir of Pindiga for deeming it necessary to honour the retired Justice Muazu Pindiga, noting that the mammoth crowd that came to witness the reception is a pointer that the retired legal luminary is a man of the people. 
In her goodwill message,  former President of the Federal Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa, noted with satisfaction, the performance of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya within short period of his stewardship.  
Justice Bulkachuwa also congratulated the retired Justice Muazu Pindiga for successfully exiting the judiciary without blemish and thanked Pindiga Emirate for the honour done to her. 
She described Justice Pindiga as an astute jurist whose hard work and dedication to the dispensation of Justice is pragmatic. 
The Emir of Pindiga, His Royal Highness, Muhammad Seyoji Ahmed in his address, noted that the seeming imbroglio between Gombe and Bauchi states over the Kolmani oil field will not cause any rift between the two sister states. 
He expressed  gratitude to Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for executing numerous projects in Pindiga Emirate and appealed for the construction of an access road to the oil rigs in Kolmani. 
He stated that the reception, organised in honor of Justice Muazu was in recognition of his numerous contributions to the growth and development of Pindiga Emirate, the Judiciary and the State at large. 
Guest Speaker at the civic reception, Gombe State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice,  Barr. Zubair Muhammad Umar described Justice Muazu Pindiga as a distinguished jurist who has shown a rare character in the administration and dispensation of justice to all manner of people irrespective of ethnic, religious or political affiliations. 
He said Gombe Judiciary will miss his fire brand contributions towards the growth and development of the judicial sector in particular and Gombe State in general. 
The Attorney General praised the decision by Pindiga Emirate to honour the retired jurist with the traditional title of Katukan Pindiga, describing the honour as a right step in the right direction. 
Governor Inuwa,  was earlier accorded a warm welcome into Pindiga by horse riders and mammoth crowd of supporters.