NNPCL to resume exploration in Borno as Zulum meets top management in Maiduguri

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has assured the Borno state government that it would resume oil exploration activities in the state.

The assurance was revealed recently when Governor Zulum received NNPCL top management in Maiduguri, led by the Chairman of the board, Engr Ahmadu Kida, to discuss energy development and the resumption of exploration activities in the state.

Speaking during the meeting, the Governor emphasised the strategic importance of resuming exploration in Borno, noting that the state has enormous commercial potentials even as it borders three countries.

He expressed optimism in the government house meeting that the renewed drive by the national oil company would unlock the state’s vast hydrocarbon potential and boost economic development.

Zulum’s concerns over the delayed upgrade of the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant.

Governor Zulum also used the occasion to express concern over the slow pace of work on the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant, a critical infrastructure project designed to maintain electricity supply in the state after the destruction of the national pylons that supplied the capital with electricity by insurgents.

The Governor regretted that despite providng all the necessary materials on site for about two years now, the necessary plant upgrade remains incomplete up till now.

Governor Zulum urged NNPCL management to intervene and ensure the project is completed in time, stressing that the plant is vital to the socio-economic well-being of residents of Maiduguri and its environs.

Responding, the leader of the delegation Eng Kida assured the Governor of the company’s readiness to fast-track the resumption of exploration in the Borno Basin and to address the bottlenecks hindering the completion of the emergency power plant.

 He commended Governor Zulum for his continued support and for creating a conducive environment for investment in the state.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Governor, Umar Kadafur; Secretary to Borno State Government, Bukar Tijani; Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mallumbe; and some senior government officials, while the NNPCL delegation included Udy Ntia, Executive Vice President,  Upstream, Olalekon Ogunleye, Executive Vice President,  Gas, Power and New Energy, among others.

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