Former President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the oil field in 2022.
The House of Representatives has mandated its oil and gas-related committees to investigate the status of the exploration in the Kolmani Oil Field between Gombe and Bauchi States.
The committees, comprising Petroleum Resources (Downstream, Upstream and Midstream) and Gas Resources, are to look into why there has been noexploration status since the inauguration of the field in 2022 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
This resolution was reached following a motion moved by Inuwa Garba (APC, Gombe) on Wednesday during plenary.
Mr Garba, while moving the motion, said the field, categorised as Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 810 and 809, has 1 billion barrels of crude oil and 500 billion cubic feet of gas.
In the motion, the lawmaker said that since the inauguration, exploration activities on the field have declined under unexplained circumstances.
"After the inauguration of the project, production activities declined under unexplained circumstances, thus creating apprehension and disappointment in the polity, especially in the face of current oil and gas market realities," he said.
Mr Garba said the "lack of a periodic progress report on such a lucrative project has led to speculation and despair due to the expectations of wealth creation, employment, and significant development."
He claimed that the "Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) attracted over $3 billion investment to the area, including a petrochemical refining site, an oil refinery of 120,000 bpd, a gas processing site of about 500 million cubic feet per day, a fertiliser plant and a 300 MW power plant."
Aside from the financial prospect, Mr Garba said the field has the potential to redraw the hydrocarbon map of the country and provide employment opportunities to Nigerians.
Following the presentation of the motion, Ahmed Wase, a lawmaker from Plateau State, moved an amendment to remove the Committee on North East Development Commission (NEDC) from the referral, and the amendment was adopted.
The motion was amended and adopted when it was put to the vote by the Deputy Speaker, Ben Kalu, who presided over the session.
Mr Kalu directed the committees to submit a report within four weeks.
