The
Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr.
Andrew Yakubu, has said that a significant milestone was recorded in the
oil and gas sector on Wednesday as the country’s crude oil production
increased from 2.4 million barrels per day to 2.7 million bpd.
Yakubu disclosed this on Thursday when
the Governor of Benue State, Dr. Gabriel Suswam, led a delegation to the
NNPC Towers, Abuja.
He said the security measures put in
place by the Federal Government in the Niger Delta were beginning to
yield positive results as shown in the increased crude oil production in
the country.
“We want to thank the President, Dr.
Goodluck Jonathan, for his great initiative to restore security with
regards to pipelines and our crude oil production facilities and we
thank the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke,
for driving the process. I am glad to report to you that in crude oil
production, yesterday (Wednesday), we recorded an all time high of 2.7
million barrels. This had not been recorded before,” Yakubu added.
He appealed to all the state
governments, local governments areas, communities and other stakeholders
to work in partnership with the corporation to safeguard the pipelines
and other strategic national assets in order to reduce wastages.
Yakubu expressed the readiness of the
corporation to collaborate with the Benue State Government to restore
the Makurdi depot, adding that a similar collaboration with the Abia
State Government recently led to the re-inauguration of the Aba depot
after being closed for seven years.
He assured that as soon as pipelines
supplying petroleum products from Aba to Enugu and Enugu to Makurdi
depots were certified okay, the corporation would commence immediate
supply to the area.
“We have not had any negative report
from the Enugu to Makurdi pipelines and as soon as we do our integrity
check and its okay, we will commence supply to the Makurdi depot,” he
said.
On the efforts by the NNPC on gas
infrastructure, the GMD noted that gas pipeline projects were currently
ongoing across the country to support the industrialisation efforts of
the Federal government.
Yakubu enjoined Suswam to assist in
convincing his colleagues to buy into the Petroleum Industry Bill
recently submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and
passage into law. He noted that the bill made provision for the growth
of private initiatives in the petroleum industry.
Earlier, Suswam had, commended the NNPC
for the Kerosene Direct initiative and said the scheme had helped
tremendously in the distribution of the product to the people of Benue
State.
He said that his administration was
willing to partner with the corporation in the resuscitation and
expansion of the Makurdi depot, development of gas infrastructure and
the ethanol project of the corporation.
The high point of the visit was a presentation by the state government on the Makurdi tank farm.
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