Kyari: Oil Discovery in Chad, Niger Inspired NNPC’s Activities in North

The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari, yesterday revealed that the
discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity in Chad, Niger
Republic and the Central African Republic, inspired the company’s
recent push to find the commodity in the north.

Speaking at the 56th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Mining
and Geosciences Society at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, the
NNPC helmsman noted that the national oil company ramped up its
efforts after President Muhammadu Buhari, ordered it to find ways
to increase the country’s reserves to 40 billion barrels from its
current 36 billion barrels.

In a keynote address he read at the event tagged: “Expanding the
Frontiers of Exploration: Creating New Opportunities for Growth,”
Kyari stated that the global oil industry has continued to
experience great shifts owing to advancement of technology,
economics and social dynamics.

He stated that NNPC has over the last four years expanded inland
basins exploration activities covering Gongola, Benue, Bida and
Sokoto basins, while data review is being undertaken in preparation
for exploration activities in Anambra platform and the Dahomey
basins.

Kyari added that the corporation was seeing more hope as it had
made progress, especially with the recent discovery of commercial
quantities of hydrocarbon in Kolmani area of the Middle Benue
Trough.

“In NNPC, we have continued to make giant strides in inland rift
basin exploration. Our sustained quest is informed by the matured
Geological and Geophysical evaluations and the practical
discoveries of commercial quantities of hydrocarbons in
neighbouring Niger, Chad and Central Africa Republic,” he
noted.

According to him, building from the NNPC’s decades of seismic
data acquisition, evaluation and consolidation in the rift basins,
especially the Chad, Gongola Basins and the Benue trough, a
re-entry was considered in 2009, but later suspended in 2014 due to
insurgency in the north east.

However, he said that with Buhari’s renewed commitment to grow
national oil reserve to 40 barrels, NNPC was in 2016 mandated to
conduct more rigorous exploration in Nigeria’s inland basins using
improved technology adopted in countries that successfully
discovered hydro carbons in the Rift Basin.

He stated that in Nigeria, there have been great waves of
transition to deep offshore exploration over the last 25 years,
with International Oil Companies (IOCs) dominating the frontiers
due to access to technology, unrivalled expertise and finance.

He maintained that the transition to deep offshore has also come
as a necessity as IOCs seek to minimise operational risks
associated with insecurity and community issues around onshore
blocks.

The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari, yesterday revealed that the
discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity in Chad, Niger
Republic and the Central African Republic, inspired the company’s
recent push to find the commodity in the north.

Speaking at the 56th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Mining
and Geosciences Society at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, the
NNPC helmsman noted that the national oil company ramped up its
efforts after President Muhammadu Buhari, ordered it to find ways
to increase the country’s reserves to 40 billion barrels from its
current 36 billion barrels.

In a keynote address he read at the event tagged: “Expanding the
Frontiers of Exploration: Creating New Opportunities for Growth,”
Kyari stated that the global oil industry has continued to
experience great shifts owing to advancement of technology,
economics and social dynamics.

He stated that NNPC has over the last four years expanded inland
basins exploration activities covering Gongola, Benue, Bida and
Sokoto basins, while data review is being undertaken in preparation
for exploration activities in Anambra platform and the Dahomey
basins.

Kyari added that the corporation was seeing more hope as it had
made progress, especially with the recent discovery of commercial
quantities of hydrocarbon in Kolmani area of the Middle Benue
Trough.

“In NNPC, we have continued to make giant strides in inland rift
basin exploration. Our sustained quest is informed by the matured
Geological and Geophysical evaluations and the practical
discoveries of commercial quantities of hydrocarbons in
neighbouring Niger, Chad and Central Africa Republic,” he
noted.

According to him, building from the NNPC’s decades of seismic
data acquisition, evaluation and consolidation in the rift basins,
especially the Chad, Gongola Basins and the Benue trough, a
re-entry was considered in 2009, but later suspended in 2014 due to
insurgency in the north east.

However, he said that with Buhari’s renewed commitment to grow
national oil reserve to 40 barrels, NNPC was in 2016 mandated to
conduct more rigorous exploration in Nigeria’s inland basins using
improved technology adopted in countries that successfully
discovered hydro carbons in the Rift Basin.

He stated that in Nigeria, there have been great waves of
transition to deep offshore exploration over the last 25 years,
with International Oil Companies (IOCs) dominating the frontiers
due to access to technology, unrivalled expertise and finance.

He maintained that the transition to deep offshore has also come
as a necessity as IOCs seek to minimise operational risks
associated with insecurity and community issues around onshore
blocks.