The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) has lost millions of dollars in its fruitless
search for crude oil in the Chad Basin, without
any strong indications that the efforts, which
have been described as “political” would yield
positive results, THISDAY’s investigations have
revealed.
Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, where
the Chad Basin is located, has also disrupted
exploratory activities in the area
THISDAY gathered that the NNPC commenced
exploratory activities in the Basin, after its initial
efforts that led to the drilling of 23 abandoned
exploratory wells failed.
Six of the 23 abandoned wells, it was learnt,
were located few kilometres north of the palace
of the late Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Mustapha
Umar El-Kanemi in Gajiganna.
The search, which has been described as a
political decision, rather than an economic
decision, is hinged on the fact that oil was
discovered in bordering regions of Chad , Niger
and Cameroon.
But a top geophysicist with one of the
International Oil Companies (IOCs) told THISDAY
at the weekend that the search for oil in the
Chad Basin would not yield any positive results,
as “the basin is too young to contain
hydrocarbons”.
“Chad Basin is too young to contain
hydrocarbons. Crude oil was discovered in the
Chad Republic because the basin is deeper in the
area but very shallow in the Nigerian side. The
Nigerian side does not have the required
temperature and pressure to form oil because it
is shallow. That is why all the exploration work
there is done by the NNPC because no oil
company will go there to waste money. The
government knows that but the NNPC has to
remain there because of politics,” he said.
THISDAY gathered that the acquisition of 3-
Dimensional seismic data, which was being
carried out by the NNPC was said to have been
disrupted by the Boko Haram insurgency at the
project site at Kukawa near Lake Chad.
Spokesman for the Corporation, Mr. Ohi Alegbe
did not respond to THISDAY enquiry on when the
corporation would resume exploration activities
in the area.
But statistics obtained by THISDAY showed that
the NNPC acquired 370 square kilometres of
seismic data between January and May 2010
with a target to achieve 530 square kilometres
by December 31, 2010.
The total volume earmarked for acquisition at
the Chad Basin operations of the NNPC is 3,550
square kilometres under a 12-phased programme,
the statistics revealed.
Of the 12 phased 3D seismic data acquisition
programme, Phase 5 covering 252 Square
Kilometres has been concluded.
Under Phase 1 to Phase 5, a total of 1,437
Square Kilometres of seismic data has been
acquired with 1,096 Square Kilometres of seismic
data duly processed and ready for interpretation
but there has been no prospect for crude oil
discovery.
Though the seismic data acquisition under Phase
6 covering 266 Square kilometres is supposed to
have commenced at the project site at Kukawa
near Lake Chad, THISDAY gathered that the Boko
Haram insurgency is hampering the efforts.
NNPC had engaged Chinese investors, who
discovered oil in the neighbouring Niger and
Chad in the crude exploration in the Chad and
Sokoto basins.
NNPC’s New Frontier Exploration Division is
also working in consultation with a renowned
Geophysicist and Consultant to the United
Nations, Prof. Deborah Ajakaiye who is leading a
team of Nigerian and foreign Geologists/
Geophysicists in the search for hydrocarbon
deposit in the Nigerian Frontier Inland
Sedimentary Basins (NFISB) but all these efforts,
which have gulped millions of dollars, have not
yielded positive results.
The search is not limited to the Chad Basin
alone but covers extensive inquest in the entire
Nigerian Frontier Sedimentary Basins which
includes- the Anambra, Bida , Dahomey ,
Gongola /Yola and the Sokoto Basins alongside
the Middle/Lower Benue Trough.
No comments: