The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC is 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 even as
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered for deeper inquest into the
prospectivity of some hitherto neglected finds in some areas in the North
Eastern part of Nigeria.
Group Managing Director of the
Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru made this disclosure on Monday while receiving
the Governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Mohammed Abubakar who was on a courtesy
visit to the NNPC Towers, Abuja.
Dr. Baru
informed that the renewed search for hydrocarbon deposits in the Chad Basin
would entail extensive probing of some allocated and non-allocated oil blocs in
the region with a view to establishing the magnitude of the deposits.
In his opening
remarks, Mallam 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 Bauchi State is proud of Baru and his accomplishments
so far in the oil and gas industry.
Briefing the
visiting governor on the intensification of crude oil search in the north, the
NNPC GMD noted that the Corporation has identified specific oil blocks in the
area where some of the finds have been made and would move to re-invigorate
exploration based on fresh strategy.
“You know that very close home, we
have exploration activities on the frontier basin in the 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 further explore the magnitude and prospectivity of those
finds . We are taking steps to re-strategize and get into those regions. We
will re-invigorate 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 Bauchi State 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.
Lending
backing to Baru’s elevation to the position of GMD, Governor Abubakar stated
that the government and people of the State will continue to support and pray
for the GMD to ensure that his dreams for the NNPC come to fruition as he steer
the ship of NNPC away from obviously turbulent waters amid tumbling crude oil
prices. .
Also on
Monday, the NNPC flagged off bid opening for the decommissioning and
installation of towers and masts in Lagos, Benin and Port Harcourt area offices
with eleven 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 eleven 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 assuring that all
prospective vendors would receive equal treatment.
Commenting on
the exercise, the Executive Director of one of the bidding 0 companies, Mr.
Anthony Wokocha, applauded the NNPC for the transparent conduct of the exercise
and assured of the readiness of his company to deliver on the mandate if
considered.
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