Oil prospects in Bida basin high – NNPC

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru has said that the prospects of striking oil in the ongoing oil exploration research activities on in the Bida Basin is high.
He made the disclosure at the weekend at the 2nd Combined Convocation ceremony of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai (IBBUL) after he was conferred with the fellowship award of the university.
Baru said that the NNPC was satisfied with the collaborative efforts between the corporation and the university in prospecting for oil adding that “we are hopeful that we will get oil”.
According to him, “the search for oil had reached the fourth stage out of ten stages required in oil prospecting and exploration, adding that the fourth stage include determining if hydrocarbon have been generated in the basin and that IDLS is currently analyzing the basin to determine if hydrocarbons have been generated.
He further said  “NNPC recognizes that the Bida Basin exploration is in the fourth stage of these activities. Hense, it is important to state that efforts have not advanced to the level of declaring discoveries talk-less of claiming that the oil and gas present is in commercial quantities”.
He blasted aides of the Niger state government for rushing to the press with reports of discoveries explaining that even after commercial discovery of hydrocarbons it is imperative that pronouncements be made only after due validation of claims by the industry regulator – the Department of Petroluem Resources (DPR) Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai Professor Mohammed Nasir Maiturare described the IBBUL- NNPC/FES research project as iconic.
According to him, “we successfully carried out field mapping and geological studies of the Sokoto and Bida basins. Earlier on IBBUL developed a preliminary geological map of the Baida basin which hitherto did not exist”.
Maiturare said that the university has also concluded research assignments to develop the blueprint for Science Technology and Innovation (STI) for Nigeria’s prosperity in 2050, adding that the university was selected by the National University Commission (NUC) to be the lead institution for the sector.
He, however, expressed appreciation to NNPC for collaborating with the university in the search for oil in the basins.