Ayuba Mafi
The minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Christopher Ogbonnaya Onu has disclosed that the country is making moves to explore 40 billion barrels of crude oil from its current 36 barrels by the year 2030 for growth of our nation’s petroleum reserves as well as to burst the economy growth of the nation.
Dr Onu, disclosed this at a 2 days National Workshop on Petroleum Research Activities in Nigeria’s Inland Basins organised by the National Centre for Petroleum Research and Development (NCPRD) held at Chatrwell Hotel, Monday in Bauchi.
According to the minister, the workshop was focused on the roles of research and development in the Nigeria Inland Basins as an instrument or national development, as well as to identify the needs for transformation in the way oil and gas exploration and managing in Nigeria, saying that the journey of transformation has just begun for the industries in the country and simply managing our ridding oil price circle and upstream any more up.
Adding that “As a country, we have already keyed into desire transformation needed for robust oil and gas development management.
The minister who was represented by the Director-General Energy Commission of Nigeria, Prof. Eli Jidere Bala via Zoom video teleconference from Abuja, noted that research and development play positive roles in the diversification of the source of our petroleum resources for national development.
He said “It is in this light that the federal government through my ministry support the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) and National Centre for Petroleum Research and Development (NCPRD) to increase our national Energy source reliance through research and development activities”,.
The minister however congratulated his state Petroleum minister Chief Timipre Silva and GMD NNPC, Mr Mele Kolo Kyari for the recent discovery of crude oil at culmany river 2 in the upper Benue trough and continual work at the site area.
Similarly, commended the efforts of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa university towards developing techno strategetic and petroleum system models for the Gongola sub-Sahara Basins of the southern Benue Trough
and the entire trappers of Nigeria, which suggested the expected structural types and styles capable of trapping hydrocarbon in the Basin’s
The minister, therefore, thanked all the participants, hoping this meeting and subsequent ones would parcellate the attraction of the private investors into frontiers Inland Basins in the country.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigerian, Prof. Eli Jidere Bala said that the Commission upon inception in 1981 was saddled with the responsibilities of strategic planning and coordination of national policies in the field of Energy in all its ramifications.
He assured his Commission readiness towards continued support and partnership with all the stakeholders in the oil and gas exploration to achieve the desired result in the country.
Corroborating, the Acting Director, National Centre for Petroleum Research and Development, ECN, ATBU, Bauchi, noting the existing climate change destruction course by degrading at the Niger Delta region has necessitated the need for the country to look for formidable solutions to avert future recurrence in other parts of the country.
He added that the objective of the workshop is to sensitize environments as well as to exchange ideas with experts in the field on how best we can bring options to cut down the effect of oil and gas explorations in the country.
In his speech, the Vice-Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Abdulazeez Muhammad Ahmad said the university will continue to partner with the National Centre for Petroleum Research and Development Agency (NCPRD) and the Energy Commission of Nigeria towards more discovery of potentials and abundant natural resources in the country.
Also, speaking one time Senator Abdullahi Matori who was also the pioneer member moved the motion for the exploration of gas and oil in Alkaleri LGA of Bauchi state during the Obasanjo regime, noting that the discovery of the commodity in the north is a great development as well would improve on revenue generation of the region and the entire nation.
He urged Nigerians irrespective of ethnic, religious and political differences to shed their swords and put heads together for the overall development and progress of the country.
The theme of the workshop was tagged: Petroleum Exploration and Environmental Control in the Nigerian Context: Implications for Sustainable Petroleum Exploration in Nigeria
