•Says conflicts will no longer be resolved on newspaper pages
•Nigeria’s April oil output rises marginally, reaches 3-month high
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Contrary to insinuations that Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) had halted the exploration of crude oil in the northern part of Nigeria, the new Group Chief Executive Officer of the company, Bayo Ojulari, said the project will continue in June.
Ojulari, who spoke in Hausa in an interview yesterday on the BBC Hausa Service, said the drilling project in Kolmani at the boundary of Bauchi and Gombe states, when completed, will positively impact Nigerians.
In 2019, the national oil company announced the discovery of hydrocarbon deposits in the Kolmani River II Well on the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin, in the north-eastern part of the country.
In 2022, the government commenced oil drilling at the area in commercial quantities, the first in the region after several crude oil explorations in the Upper Benue Trough, saying it will attract foreign investment and generate employment for the people.
At the time, the government said over a billion barrels of oil and 500 billion cubic feet of gas were found within the Kolmani area of Bauchi and Gombe. It stated that the discovery had already attracted $3 billion investment.
Raising hope on continuation of the project, Ojulari stated that alongside others, like the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline, the companies working on the projects will continue by next month.
He said, “NNPC will continue oil drilling in the Kolmani field and will continue the work on the AKK gas pipeline from Ajaokuta to Kaduna to Kano. The companies working on the projects will continue, and new ones are also welcome.
“The projects are critical in boosting the economy and the impact will be felt by all Nigerians. By next month, people will begin to see. We will start work on the AKK gas pipeline and the Kalmoni, Insha Allah.”
Ojulari also stated that a disagreement that existed between the Dangote refinery and NNPC had been sorted out, assuring that henceforth, matters will no longer be resolved on the pages of newspapers.
He added, “We, as Nigerians, must hail Dangote’s courageous efforts. Whatever he is investing, he is doing it in Africa. We have addressed the feud between the NNPC and the Dangote refinery. Very soon, people will start seeing the impact.
“We are cooperating, and better days are ahead. Marketers will buy fuel at the refinery any time they want. If there are any obstacles, we will address them. It won’t be in the news anymore that NNPC and Dangote are fighting. Now, we are working together for the interests of Nigerians.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria raised crude oil production marginally, from 1.401 million barrels per day (bpd) in March to 1.486 million bpd in April, data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) stated yesterday.
An analysis of the data showed that production hit a three-month high during the period under consideration, attaining about 99 per cent of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota.
In January, the country’s OPEC oil production was 1.53 million bpd, 1.46 million bpd in February, 1.40 million bpd in March, and 1.48 million bpd in April.
However, when condensates were added, Nigeria’s production was 1.73 million bpd in January, 1.67 million bpd in February, 1.60 million bpd in March, and 1.68 million bpd in April.
“The average crude oil production was 99 per cent of the OPEC quota (1.5 million bpd). Lowest and peak combined crude oil and condensate production in April were 1.60 million bpd and 1.73 million bpd respectively,” NUPRC said.
The upstream regulator added, “The daily average production in April was 1,683,307 barrels per day, comprising both crude oil (1,485,700 bpd) and condensate (197,607 bpd).”
