Niger State government has drew the attention of the government of President Muhammadu to the large quantities of crude oil that has been found in the Bida Basin and is awaiting exploration.
In a statement, the state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Jonathan Vatsa, said that the immediate past state government, through a committee it set up, had confirmed the availability of large quantities of crude oil in the Bida Basin.
“The search for crude oil will not be complete in the north until Bida Basin, which has a lot of potential, is included because there had been several intensification of crude oil search with re-invigorated exploration based on fresh strategy.”
The Commissioner said that if the Bida Basin could be included in the renewed search for hydrocarbon deposits, it would be a giant step that can step up the economic potential not only for the state but for the country as a whole.
It would be recalled that the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, hinted recently that government was stepping up measures in the search for crude oil in the Chad Basin and other parts of the inland sedimentary basin. [myad]
