Oil exploration begins in Bida Basin soon – Commissioner

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna.

The Niger state government has said the state is set to join oil producing states in the country noted that the presence of hydro Carbon in Bida Basin was of commercial value for exploration.
The Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Hajiya Ramatu YuarAdua said that seven shallow oil wells drilled in parts of the state have confirmed the presence of high quantity and quality of hydro carbon in its quest for oil exploration in the Bida Basin.
The commissioner stated this in Minna at a press briefing after the meeting of the state Executive Council meeting held Wednesday at Government House.
She said that the Executive Council has approved the payment of N145million out of N380million bill presented by a consultant oil firm that carried out the technical job that established workable data bank on the presence of oil in the basin
Consequently, two investors based in United Kingdom and Canada have expressed interest in doing the seismic data analysis to come out with blocs before handing over to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), according to the commissioner.
Hajiya YarAdua hinted that the shallow wells were established in the villages of Gulu, Bakani, Makera, Kudu, Enagi, Kutigi and Kontagora, adding that “the government is happy about this good news”.
She said that the consultant firm actually improved on the earlier research work done by a team of researchers from the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai.
The commissioner expressed the hope that NNPC will refund the money expended by the state government when it take over the exploration of oil in the basin.