A technical team to see the possibility of refining crude oil in
Niger Republic by the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC)
may be underway by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),
it was learnt yesterday.
NNPC’s Group Managing Director Dr. Maikanti Baru stated this after a
bilateral discussion with Republic of Niger’s Minister of Energy and Oil
Foumakoye Gado in Abuja.
A statement by the corporation quoted the NNPC helmsman as saying:
“We plan to set up the technical team to review the possibilities of how
crude oil will be supplied to the Kaduna Refinery. Being bilateral,
there are going to be two teams as discussed by the Minister of State,
Petroleum Resources and the Minister of Energy and Oil of Niger.
“There will be steering committee comprising some Ministers and a
technical committee which will involve the NNPC and the Nigerien
Ministry of Energy and Oil and their operators.”
According to the statement, Nigeria is to collaborate with its
Republic of Niger neighbour in the area of sharing of geological data to
further boost the ongoing exploratory activities in the Chad Basin and
Benue Trough.
He noted that there is an understanding between the NNPC and the
Republic of Niger to share data on the exploratory activities in the
Chad Basin and the Benue Trough and to tap into that country’s
experience.
The NNPC chief has described the Amnesty Programme as critical towards a lasting peace in the Niger Delta region.
Baru made this known while hosting the Special Adviser to the
President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty
Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh in his office at the NNPC Towers,
Abuja, yesterday.
The GMD told Boroh: “The Amnesty Programme is key in restoring peace to the Niger Delta.”
He restated the Corporation’s commitment to collaboration with relevant stakeholders towards developing the Niger Delta region.
Baru, who observed that insecurity has affected NNPC’s operations
especially in the region, stressed further that with relative peace now
coming back to the region, the NNPC will ramp up its oil and gas
production to be able to deliver on its mandate to the nation.
Responding, the Nigerien Energy Minister said his mission in Nigeria
was to discuss issues of interest especially in the area of the oil
sector with the NNPC, adding that the procurement of crude oil for
Kaduna refinery and its practicability is being worked out.
Gado said: “One of the aims of this visit is to share geological
information for us to draw the best profit out of the exploratory
efforts.
Speaking earlier, Boroh said they were in NNPC to share some of the
success stories of the programme especially in terms of human capital
development of the various beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme.
According to Boroh, the Programme has trained over fifteen thousand
ex-agitators in various skills and trades, adding that about 14 of them
graduated with First Class from various universities both in Nigeria and
abroad.