President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday flagged off the first drill for oil in Nasarawa State as the country targets to raise crude production to three million barrels per day (3mbpd) from the current 1.7mbpd.
The country is also hoping to raise its oil reserves to 50 billion barrels in the next decade. Nigeria’s oil reserves currently stand at 37.8 billion barrels.
Speaking at the flag-off of the Spud-in of Ebenyi-A Oil Well in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, President Buhari said the government was determined to boost Nigeria’s oil production capacity by moving into new frontiers.
He pointed out that the drilling for oil in the Ebenyi-A well located in the Benue Trough “is in line of the ongoing campaign for the exploration of crude oil and gas in the nation’s frontier basins including the Chad Basin, Dahomey Basin, Anambra platforms, Calabar embankment, Sokoto Basin, Bida Basin, Benue Basin as well as ultra-deep offshore of the Niger Delta.
He said that the discovery and drilling of oil in Nasarawa State will lead to greater prosperity for Nigerians as well as enhance overall energy security for the country.
“Today’s occasion marks the official commencement of the exploration drilling in the middle Benue Trough. This is consistent with the commercial discoveries of hydrocarbons in the Kolmani Area of the Upper Benue Trough.”
He expressed happiness about ongoing activities to develop the Kolmani petroleum discoveries to commercial production to add to the nation’s considerable hydro-carbon assets just as he praised the NNPC Limited, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and other partners for their immense contributions to the events of the day.
The president said the surrounding communities would particularly benefit from the value created by the exploration and eventual production activities. He therefore directed NNPC Limited and its partners to take due care of the environmental consequences of these oil exploration activities and to mitigate the negative effects.
He thanked the government and people of Nasarawa State – the host community – for their unfettered support and collaboration towards the success of this exploration campaign.
Earlier, the Group CEO of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mr. Mele Kyari had explained that the industry is working to boost the country’s oil reserves to 50 billion from frontier explorations.
Kyari said NNPC was also working to raise daily production from the about 1.7 million barrels per day to 3million barrels per day.
He also expressed optimism that “the positive outcome of this campaign will contribute to national aspiration of increasing our hydrocarbon reserves from 37 billion barrels to 50 billion barrels in the short and, in the medium term, increase production targets of three million barrels per day”.
Kyari, who also highlighted the prospect of the Nasarawa field, added: “Indeed, our findings are very indicative of potential commercial hydrocarbon discovery in this area.”
The quest to find oil in Nasarawa is coming four months after NNPCL flagged off the construction of oil production and refining facility in Kolmani oil field located between Bauchi and Gombe in November 2022.
Also speaking at the event, the governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi Sule said the search for oil in the area began over 10 years ago.
Governor Sule, who did the spud-in on behalf of President Buhari, commended the management of NNPC Limited, stressing that although the Ebenyi-A field activities began in 2010, it was in 2021 that NNPC acquired the 3D seismic data and made the oil find prospects at the site more promising.
