Buhari Orders NNPC To Search For Oil In The North

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to search more for oil in the North. The exploration for oil in the North, particularly in the Chad basin and Benue Trough, has been on for about a decade, but the president directed the corporation to do everything right this time around to get oil in the region.Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, who disclosed this, according to a statement by the corporation yesterday, maintained that the president particularly ordered deeper inquest into prospecting of some hitherto neglected finds in some areas in the North- East.

Already the NNPC, Baru added, was stepping up measures to ensure a successful operation in the ongoing search for crude oil in the Chad Basin and other parts of the Inland Sedimentary Basin. Baru disclosed this while receiving the Governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Mohammed Abubakar, who was on a courtesy visit to the NNPC Towers, Abuja.

According to the statement signed by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs of the NNPC, Mallam Garba Deen Muhammed, the corporation boss informed that the renewed search for hydrocarbon deposits in the Chad Basin would entail extensive probing of some allocated and nonallocated oil blocks in the region with a view to establishing the magnitude of the deposits.

Briefing the governor on the intensification of crude oil search in the north, the NNPC GMD noted that the corporation had identified specific oil blocks in the area where some of the finds have been made and would move to reinvigorate exploration based on fresh strategy.

“You know that very close home, we have exploration activities on the frontier basin in Chad and some areas close to the Kolmani River where Shell had made some indicative discovery of hydrocarbons and Mr. President has directed me to go into that area to reprove and fur-ther explore the magnitude and prospectivity of those finds.

We are taking steps to restrategise and get into those regions. “We will reinvigorate the frontier exploration and see how they collaborate with NNPC that is holding Block A09 where some of the finds have been made and also Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) for the other blocks that have not been assigned,” he said.

Baru implored the governor to collaborate with the corporation in tackling the menace of pipeline vandalism, especially in the wake of reported line breaks along the NNPC products supply line from Jos-Gombe-Bauchi enroute the Maiduguri depot.

The GMD said: “We are committed to collaborate with you and other state governors to drive all the initiatives that will fulfill this national aspiration expected from my industry, especially energy security. “It is a very difficult time for us with all the leakages that we suffer, especially infractions on our infrastructure in terms of pipeline vandalism and theft, to be able to meet our obligations to the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC). We will continue to meet this obligation timely and effectively as much as possible.”

In his remarks, Abubakar said he was leading a delegation of Bauchi State Government officials to the NNPC Towers to felicitate with the new GMD on his appointment, noting that the state was proud of Baru and his accomplishments so far in the oil and gas industry.

The governor stated that the government and people of the state would continue to support and pray for the GMD to ensure that his dreams for the NNPC come to fruition as he steers the ship of NNPC amid tumbling crude oil prices.

Also yesterday, the NNPC flagged off bid opening for the decommissioning and installation of towers and masts in Lagos, Benin and Port Harcourt area offices with 11 companies participating in the exercise. Speaking during the bid opening ceremony at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, the Manager, Telecoms, Engr. Michael Ejike, said reputable telecommunication vendors with proven experience and capacity were invited to bid for the decommissioning and installation of towers and masts in some NNPC facilities to give it a facelift.

He noted that the 11 companies that submitted bid were required to bid for any of the four refineries of their interest, adding that the exercise was geared towards providing equal opportunities for all bidders in a transparent manner.

On her part, the General Manager, Supply Chain Management, Mrs. Sophia Mbakwe, said the result of the bid exercise would be ready in three weeks. She assured that all prospective vendors would receive equal treatment.