By; BALA B. BITRUS, Minna
Commencement of any exploration work for crude oil prospecting at the Bida Basin by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC must have to await the completion of the geological mapping, surface test, geographical history, data integration and other highly technical work by field experts, the Group Managing Director, GMD of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru has said.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State who led other members of his government to the headquarters of the Corporation, (NNPC) on a vital contact visit to push the Corporation to up it’s game on the exploration of hydro carbon at the Bida Basin was told that the Corporation was awaiting the completion of the technical survey and test which could take at least four to six months after which the Corporation would then commence actual crude oil prospecting at the Basin.
The Bida Basin in Niger State is said to have some appreciable deposits of hydro carbon materials rich enough for sufficient exploration.
Governor Sani Bello along with some members of his cabinet on Tuesday paid a visit to the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru at the NNPC Towers in Abuja to press for speedy action.
Already ahead of the commencement of crude oil drilling, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello had created a department of oil and gas in the state’s Ministry of Mineral Resources to ensure proper coordination of activities ahead of the discovery of crude oil and lay the stage for the state to be among oil producing states in the country.
Governor Bello told the NNPC’s GMD that the state was making progress in it’s plans for the Bida Basin.
”We are here to follow up on our earlier footwalks and vision for the Bida Basin” He said Niger was anxiously eager to join the league of oil producing states in the country.
“It is our fervent hope that Niger state will join the oil producing states soon. We are hoping to start exploring oil in the state as soon as possible” he said optimistically.
The Governor used the opportunity of the visit to appeal to the NNPC Boss to build truck parks for oil tanker drivers in five locations including Minna, Tafa, Suleja, Mokwa and Tegina for heavy duty trucks as kerbs for drivers of such heavy haulage vehicles to park their vehicles as against what has been the practice which has been posing threats to human and vehicular safety on the highways.
The Governor complained that “a lot of heavy duty trucks carrying fuel mostly above the 35,000 metric tonnes capacities of the road usually park their vehicles on roadshoulders around communities.
He said “any eventuality could results in accident with casualties and sometimes with loss of lives and destruction of properties”
Governor Bello told his host that the state government has identified places where the parks could be built.
He therefore sought for the support of the GMD to assist in building the kerbs for tanker trailers and to rehabilitate some of the roads that have gone bad as a result of the use by heavy duty trucks carrying overweight products.
But Dr. Baru while responding, said he had read media reports and research findings on the possibility of some hydro cabon deposits at the Bida Basin.
He said the Corporation had recently awarded contract to the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai to do the geological mapping of the Bida Basin area. Work on the project is expected in three months from now.
Dr. Baru noted that after the geological mapping, the Corporation would do a surface test, geographical history as well as ground gravity after which the data would be integrated by the NNPC.
He listed other activities to be carried out by the Corporation before the real exploration for hydro cabon to include the original precise data gathering, and environmental impact assessment after which the Corporation would give it’s nod for go ahead.
All these the GMD noted could take approximately between four to six months adding that “we will be expecting conclusion on these key issues between July and August, 2018”.
Dr. Baru however assured the Governor and his entourage that the NNPC would, at the right time, carry out the exploration process professionally before it commence activities on the Basin.
He disclosed that the NNPC was in contact with the Federal Ministry of Works on how to rehabilitate some of the federal roads which traverses through Niger state to other states especially in northern parts of the country.
“We will ensure that bad portions in Mokwa, Jebba, Lapai and Minna roads are rehabilitated with the support from the federal government”.
He said the Corporation was talking to authorities concerned on the need to build more bridges and repair existing ones that are in bad shape just as he added that the Corporation has been warning truck drivers not to load their vehicles above the upgraded 46,000 gross rate as approved by the Ministry.
He revealed that the NNPC had directed various fuel depots and loading bays across the country to avoid loading fuel tankers with products above the approved 35,000 to 40,000 metric tons.
The NNPC’s GMD assured the Governor that NNPC would assist the state to build trucks parks in Suleja and Minna through a Public Private Partnership arrangement as part of it’s contribution to stem environmental hazards.
