The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) said it was about to drill the first foot of an oil well in Nasarawa State on Friday after discovering oil there.
It added that it would spud the first oil well in Nasarawa State in March 2023 as part of its ongoing oil exploration efforts in the nation’s inland basins.
Following the discovery of crude oil in the states of Bauchi and Gombe, it was reported on January 5, 2023, that NNPC was prospecting for the resource in additional sites throughout the north.
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According to the article, NNPC was conducting coordinated action to expand frontier exploration in the area as part of efforts to support the nation’s oil production and reserves.
The company had disclosed this in a document on the frontier exploration services activities of the NNPC from 2020 to 2022, as outlined some prospective states where oil was expected to be discovered include Niger, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, and Gombe.
Beyond the North, the Anambra basin was listed as another area where the NNPC was striving to find more oil.
Prospecting is the first stage in discovering the oil and gas fields, under which seismic surveys are carried out.
On Friday, NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, announced the oil discovery and the planned spud-in when the Governor of the state, Abdullahi Sule, led a delegation of prominent indigenes on a courtesy visit to NNPC in Abuja.
Kyari, in a statement issued in Abuja by the corporation’s spokesperson, Garba-Deen Mohammad, said the results of exploratory activities confirmed the presence of substantial hydrocarbon resources in the state.
He called for prompt action on the project as the global energy transition had led to a reduction in investment in fossil fuels.
“This work must be done very fast because the whole world is walking away from fossil fuel due to energy transition, the earlier you go to market, the better for you,” Kyari stated.
He added, “Otherwise, 10 years from now, no one will agree to put money in the petroleum business except it comes from your cash flow.”
