By Ayodele Oni
Kogi State has joined the league of oil producing states, thus becoming the tenth on the roll.
Governor Yahaya Bello broke the news to State House Correspondents in Abuja while on a thank you visit to President Mohammed Buhari.
He expressed the state Government’s ’s appreciation to President Buhari for the recognition of Kogi as one of the Oil-producing states in the country by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, (RMAFC).
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Bello, Mohammed Onogwu, said in a statement on Wednesday that the issue of the resuscitation of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, also in Kogi State, was discussed with the President.”
Governor Bello was quoted in the statement as saying that “The aim of my visit to Mr President this afternoon was to thank him for the recognition of Kogi State as one of the Oil-producing States in the country.
“We also discussed the issue of Ajaokuta Steel Complex, which Mr President said all efforts are ongoing to ensure the Steel Complex comes up before the end of his administration.”
“With the recognition of Kogi and Anambra, the age-long oil wells dispute that resulted in unwarranted killings and destruction of property between two communities of Odeke in Ibaji local government area of Kogi and Aguleri in Anambra state has come to an end, while commending Mr President for the peaceful resolution of the dispute.
“The Ibaji oil crisis had been on for a while and has led to large scale destruction of property with the loss of many lives.
“The Odeke and Aguleri communities of Kogi and Anambra states laid exclusive claim to the ownership of the oil in the disputed area which has been finally resolved in favour of both states.
“By history, the exploration of crude oil in Ibaji Local Government Area which comes under Anambra Basin in geological terms started in 1952 in the villages of Odeke, Echeno, Ihile, Anocha/Uchuchu, Omabo, Ikah, Iregwu and Ujeh all in Ibaji community of the present-day Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State.
“Between 1952 and 1986 three companies namely; Shell BP (now SPDC), ELF (now Total Fina Elf) and AGIP Energy have drilled 25 exploration wells, 2 appraisal wells and 8-core drill wells in the entire Basin out of which majority of the wells fall into Kogi State.
“Since the assumption office in 2016, Governor Yahaya Bello who always work in silence understudied the disputed area and with deft political approach pursued the matter which remained unresolved by his predecessors to a logical conclusion.”
