The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobri is looking towards Kogi State for petroleum exploration.
He expressed the desire when the State Governor, Usman Ododo led a delegation on an official visit to the ministry in Abuja.
“What we need to do is to do the requisite exploration work, and once we find, you know, oil in good commercial quantity, you know, Kogi can now have their own, and then partner with, you know, with the operators, or trade them, you know, for the benefit of the people of Kogi,” the minister said, adding that it is part of Federal Government’s policy to encourage exploration and Kogi State cannot be an exception.
According to him, there is high likelihood of striking oil in commercial quantity in the state as all the neighbouring countries that never had oil have struck it.
He assured Ododo that funding is available for the exploration in line with the Petroleum Industry Act.
“According to the PIA, there’s not money available that government can use to do these seismic exploratory activities that will enable us to increase our reserves, not only in crude oil, but also in gas.
“And so, I want to assure you that there’s funding that’s available for that purpose, and government is committed to ensuring that we do that for the overall strategic national interest of Nigeria. That I can assure you,” he said.
Lokpobri said the best way to boost national earnings is to ramp up crude oil production to as high as 2.4 million barrels per day in the next few months.
He vowed to work in partnership with the state to contribute its quota to the country’s crude oil production basket to attract investment.
“That is the easiest way we can raise the money that is needed to finance all government programs at all levels of, you know, governance in this country.
“And so we will work with Kogi, so that Kogi can also add their own, you know, to the quantum of oil that is produced. And then other investments can come in,” the minister said.
Earlier, following the directive of Ododo, the Commissioner for Finance, Asiwaju Asiru Idris called on the Federal Government to explore petroleum in the Anambra Basin for crude oil production in the state.
The commissioner said the state needs to explore the Anambra Basin to attain its economic plans.
“If they are blessed with a lot of solid minerals, what of the other minerals that God gave Kogi State under the Anambra Basin?
“And we need to tap into it for us to actually achieve the plan. The people of Kogi State, they believe that for this plan to work, we need to explore all areas,” he said.
Idris said the government has worked hard to guarantee security in the state to make it conducive for investment.
He said Ododo made security his priority since investment can only thrive in a secured environment.
” There cannot be any meaningful development or investment in the state where we have issues of insecurity.
“The Governor has taken it upon himself by ensuring that a lot of investment is towards securing the people of the state, our resources, and the investors,” he said.
He said the state is endowed with mineral resources that have already attracted Dangote and Manga.
Speaking, the governor lamented that the state has huge natural resources but the usefulness has not been fully realized.
He said: “As we heard from his opening remark, Kogi State, we are blessed with a lot of resources as such, and they have not been useful to the state to the fullest.”
He sought the Federal Government support to unlock the natural resources potential of the state
Ododo said: “We need your support, we need your guidance. We want to unlock our potential to make sure the natural gifts gifted by God Almighty start working for us during your own time.”
He added that the finance for development of frontier basins is available in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
According to him, the state is almost an onlooker in terms of benefitting from the 13 per centderivation fund of the oil producing states.
He said so far, Kogi has only earned N7.8million from the fund while it watches other states benefit hugely from the derivation fund.
“We are happy with them, but we hope to join them. So if you call us an oil producing state, yes, we are an oil producing state, but are you producing? No, because then, insecurity.
“But with that one, we have fought and we ensure there is peace in the area. Once there is peace, then people can come in to invest. As a state, we can’t do it alone.
“We need you to help us so that the state can fully utilize what God has given us. It’s on that note that that is the major one that you need to help us. Some people believe we are earning 13%.
“It’s not monthly. We only received it once, and that was 7.8 million. But as a government, we have to be proud that we are also oil producing, but nothing is coming.
“And people believe if you are oil producing and nothing is coming, as a governor, what are you going to do? As a state, we are ready with your support to even have a state-owned oil block within our area where we need your support to bring in investors.
“Our sons and daughters are in that industry. They are ready to work with us as long as we put in place the right mechanism.”
Ododo said the state also wants to take advantage of the Federal Government gas expansion plan.
The Nation
