Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State has called for collaboration between the state and the federal government to accelerate investment in the exploration of oil resources in the state.
A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Isamila Isah on Thursday, said Governor Ododo made the call on Thursday, when he visited the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil) Senator Heineken Lokpobiri in Abuja.
The statement said Governor Ododo restated that the state government was committed to providing an 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,” the statement said.
According to the governor’s spokesperson, 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,” Isah said.