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From: Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
The Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) said it has started the process that would lead to the exploration of oil and gas in the Sokoto basin.
Its Group Managing Director, Maikanti Kachalla Baru, stated this when he received the Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State who paid a working visit to the NNPC Towers, in Abuja.
Baru said that discussions were ongoing with Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL) to award contract for surface geochemistry, ground gravity and magnetics of the areas.
“We have already purchased aeromagnetic data and its being interpreted to determine the sedimentary thickness and the basin configuration.”
“Secondly, we have awarded a contract for the geological mapping of the basin and I am happy to state here that outcop samples have been collected, mapped, analysed and geological modeling executed so as to ensure data integration,” Baro explained.
Baro also said the NNPC would also carry out high resolution regional 2D seismic data acquisition to identify leads and prospects, after which a 3D seismic data acquisition will be carried out over leads and prospects.
Earlier, Govrrnor Tambuwal said various studies have been carried out by the government on the Sokoto Basins, the resut of which will be made available to the NNPC to aid its efforts.
He said the government, in collaboration with the Usman Danfodio University, would organise a national conference on the Sokoto Basin in October where international scholars will make presentations on the topic.
“We are inviting you and the NNPC to take part in this important conference because we believe it will add value in our search for hydrocarbon in the Sokoto Basin,” he added.
He said historical records indicate that the presence of hydrocarbon in the Sokoto Basin has been a subject of interest to geologists for long, a situation that made Italian oil giants, Elf, to consider preliminary exploration activities beginning from the 50s.
