Follow Us on Google
Adewale Sanyolu
The highest body of petroleum explorationsits in the country-the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), has dispelled insinuations that efforts that led to the recent discovery of oil in Kolmani Well 2 in the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin was discriminatory.
NAPE President, Mr. Ajibola Oyebamiji, gave the clarification at a media briefing to announce activities on the fortcoming NAPE 37th Annual International Conference and Exhibition holding in Lagos next month with the theme ‘‘Expanding Nigeria’s Petroleum Landscape: Digitalisation, Innovation and Emerging New Technologies’’.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had on Thursday 10th October, 2019, announced the discovery of oil in Kolmani Well 2 when it said at 18:02hours, one of the reservoirs was perforated and hydrocarbon started flowing to the well head at 21:20 hours in which the gas component was flared to prevent air charge around the Rig.
Oyebamiji, said the discovery of oil in North East Gongola Basin was not an entirely new effort, saying oil and gas had already been discovered in that region with the drilling of Kolmani River 1 by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO)
The NAPE boss said there are processes in exploration, adding that the reconnaissance and regional basin evaluation which takes between 10 to 20 years which nobody pays attention to, but must first be carried out.
The geologist, said currently regional assessment and evaluation are ongoing in all the basins in the country, including the Anambra, Dahomey, Bida, Sokoto and Chad basins in a bid to determine hydrocarbon prospects. ‘‘That is our job and what we do. Students in undergraduate and postgraduate studies within and outside the country, including those in R&D are carrying our researches in this regard.
Only recently, we had somebody from Russia who gave a technical presentation that was translated into English on the assessment of a Nigerian Basin.
So the question about bias towards a particular region of the country is not an argument that is empirical. We are technical people and not politicians. Our business is the search for hydrocarbon. It is what we think and dream about. But it has to be in commercial quantity for us to do business on it.
