NNPC strikes oil in commercial quantity in Benue trough

Chinazor Megbolu

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said the crude oil discovered in the Benue Trough is in commercial quantity.

The Federal Government corporation in a statement signed by the Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Mr. Kennie Obateru said Nigerian geologists are already making serious efforts with exploration activities in the trough.

The agency noted it is committed to boosting the nation’s hydrocarbon reserves to 40 billion barrels through reinvigorated exploratory activities in the inland frontier basins across Nigeria.

The Group Managing Director, NNPC, Dr. Mele Kyari in the statement noted that the strategy is to aggressively explore for more oil in the frontier basins in order to grow the country’s reserve base in line with federal government’s aspiration to hit the 40 billion barrels reserve target.

He stressed further that NNPC is aspiring to grow Nigeria’s hydrocarbon reserves as well as reduce the unit operating cost of crude oil production to $10 per barrel and improve efficiency across its businesses.

According to him; “it is my pleasure to appreciate the good work and resilience of our in-house professionals in the ongoing inland basins exploration activities that culminated in the recent discovery of hydrocarbons in Benue Trough.

“NNPC is indeed proud that it is the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) members that are spearheading this effort.”

Recall that in October 2019, the NNPC declared the discovery of hydrocarbon deposits in the Kolmani River II Well on the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin, in the north-eastern part of Nigeria