Bauchi yet to be pronounced oil-producing state

The House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a motion seeking the declaration of Bauchi as an oil and gas producing state.

A member of the House, Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi, who moved the motion, had urged the lower legislative chamber to mandate the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) to invite the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to give comprehensive representation on the level of work in the oil exploration at Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state.

He said: “It has become imperative to ascertain the fortunes at the disposal of the federal government in Alkaleri Local Government in compliance with the provisions of the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) passed recently by the National Assembly.

“We all know that any community where oil is discovered in commercial quantity is entitled to several extra revenues to compensate for the impact of exploration activities in its environment.

“It is important for the people of Bauchi to start benefiting from the 13 percent derivation being the host community incentives provided for by the law.”

However, the motion was rejected outrightly by the majority of the lawmakers when the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, subjected it to a voice a vote.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2019 flagged off oil exploration at the Kolmani River in Bauchi.