Sule Asks Federal Govt To Revisit Oil Exploration In Nasarawa

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has used the visit of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to renew his call on the federal government to revisit and accelerate deep onshore oil exploration in the state.

Addressing the RMAFC delegation led by Waziri Ahmed Hassan at the Government House in Lafia, Sule described the delay in exploration activities as unwise, given the proven reserves in the state.

Sule recalled that the late former President Muhammadu Buhari flagged off the drilling of the first exploration well in Obi local government area in 2023, after oil was confirmed in commercial quantities on the Benue Trough.

He added that reserves have also been identified in Keana LGA.

“Work on that project has stalled. With the volume of oil believed to exist here, it is unwise to leave it unexploited,” Sule said.

“Nigeria cannot afford to keep that resource in the ground while we face revenue challenges.”

The governor argued that Nigeria should urgently diversify crude oil production beyond the Niger Delta.

He listed Nasarawa, Kolmani, and the Chad Basin as frontiers that could reduce logistics costs and spread risk away from a single production region.

“Depending on one zone is risky. Opening up Nasarawa and other inland basins will strengthen national energy security,” he said.

Sule tied the oil exploration call to his broader demand for an upward review of Nasarawa’s federal allocation. He told RMAFC that the current formula does not reflect the state’s rapid population growth or its emerging status as a resource-bearing state.

He cited Karu LGA, bordering the FCT, where registered voters have surged from about 100,000 to over 730,000. Despite that growth and improved internally generated revenue since 2019, he said Nasarawa remains among the least funded states from the federation account.

He urged RMAFC to strengthen the derivation principle so that states with oil and solid minerals benefit directly from resources within their domain, alongside federation allocations.

He noted that President Bola Tinubu’s fiscal reforms have already raised state revenues, with Nasarawa’s monthly allocation climbing from as low as N3.6 billion early in his term to between N13 billion and N15 billion currently.

He said a new formula should account for both demographics and resource potential.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the RMAFC delegation, Hassan, said the commission is in Nasarawa to verify population and demographic data as part of its constitutional mandate to review the revenue allocation formula. He requested access to data and local governments to ensure a credible process.