Gov Yahaya says oil discovery in Gombe will become a curse if…

Following the inauguration of oil drilling fields in Gombe, the state governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, has called on residents of the state to ensure the maintenance of peace to enable uninhibited exploration in Kolmani fields.

In November, President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the first oil drilling operation in Northern Nigeria with oil fields located in Bauchi and Gombe States.

The discovery according to the president would yield the country over $3 billion in investment.

Already, there have been verbal disagreements over the actual owners of the oil fields.

However, the state warned that the, if the relative peace the residents of the state are currently enjoying, is threatened, exploration would be disrupted and investors in other sectors of the economy of the state may leave the state.

The governor said this on Wednesday, December 1, 2022, at the palace of Mai Kaltungo, Engr. Saleh Mohammed, when his campaign train arrived in Kaltungo after completing ward-to-ward campaigns in Balanga.

Governor Yahaya further warned that if measures are not taken to keep the communities peaceful, disputes between communities in the state could arise.

He said, “the desired economic benefit from the oil will only be a curse to communities and State in general if people continue to fight each other because of where the oil or exploration activities are sited.”

The governor also called on traditional institutions, saying they are stakeholders in ensuring peaceful co-existence among the people.