Niger drills 7 shallow oil wells, set for oil exploration

Niger state Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Hajiya Ramatu YuarAdua, has disclosed that the seven shallow oil wells drilled in parts of the state “have confirmed the presence of high quantity and quality of hydrocarbons for oil exploration in the Bida Basin.” The commissioner stated this in Minna yesterday in a press briefing after the meeting of the state executive council meeting.

She said the Council had approved the payment of N145 million out of the N380 million 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. According to her, 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). Yar’Adua explained 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 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 could refund the money expended by the state government when it take over the exploration of oil in the basin.

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