Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria will be joining the league of oil producing States in Nigeria if the exploration by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, comes through.
This is even as NNPCL is set to begin oil and gas exploration in the Gateway State.
According to reports, stakeholders in the oil industry, visited Ogun State in continuation for talks. Among those in the entourage included the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, Managing Director, SHELL Petroleum Development Company Ltd, Mr. Osagie Okubor. Others are Chief Executive, Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe and the Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd, Mele Kyari.
The group was welcomed to the Governor’s office, at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta by Governor Dapo Abiodun and his Deputy, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele.
Speaking at the meeting, Hon. Lokpobiri, said Ogun State has always been part of the Dahomey Basin with the prospect of having a huge deposit of hyrdro-carbon.
The Minister said: “We decided that we are going to resume exploration in the different Basins. And we decided to come to Ogun State to reassure the people that we have very high potential of discoveries here.
“Ogun has always been part of the Dahomey Basin and our presence underscores the seriousness the Federal Government attaches to the exploration activities that we want to carry out in Ogun State.”
Lokpobiri added that oil and gas remain the quickest way to Nigeria’s economic prosperity. He said his team was in the Ogun State in continuation of the campaign for exploration activities.
The assured that the visit was also to demonstrate the seriousness and commitment of the Federal Government to shore up its revenue through the oil and gas sector.
“Today, we are here to tell the people of the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that we continue our campaign and exploration activities across the country. We are doing these exploration activities in several places across Nigeria. And today, we are in Ogun State after which, we will proceed to Sokoto State,” he added.
In his contribution, the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Mele kyari, described Ogun as a blessed State.
According to him, Ogun State is blessed to be in the Dahomey Basin corridor with expected high deposit of oil. He, therefore, assured that the Corporation is coming back in earnest to commence exploration activities. This even as he expressed the hope that oil would be found in commercial quantity in the State.
In his remarks, the Executive Director, Nigerians Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Genga Komolafe, expressed optimism of oil exploration in the State. He said the coming of the team to Ogun State was to further demonstrate the commitment of the Federal Government to grow the oil reserves and enhance federation revenue.
“We all understand that Nigeria is very prolific in oil and gas. But then, there is still a need to grow the reserves through exploration activities given our huge hyrdro-carbon as a benchmark,” he noted.
Governor Abiodun, in his response said Ogun State is part of the OPLs 302,303 306, 307. He pointed that the acreages present unique opportunities for the qualification as a Frontier Exploration State as defined in the PIA section 9.
The observed that the history and studies over the years allow any investment under the frontier exploration basin funding to not only realize the oil and gas potentials, but also acquire data that would aid Bitumen exploration and exploitation in Nigeria.
According to the Governor, the Nigeria holds the second largest resolves in the world of 42,b tons. He said lots of studies have shown the potential of the basins, which brings Ogun State to the fore.
Abiodun stated that Ogun is projected towards becoming a beneficiary of the exploration. It will help the State achieve commercial success and derive economic benefits from exploration and production within a minimum time schedule.
source: The Nation
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