The Deputy governor of Benue State, Engr Benson Abounu, has called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the federal government to intensify the search for oil in the state.
The search was first done by Chevron Nig Ltd in the 1960s.
President Muhammadu Buhari in August ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to search for oil in Benue State.
Engr Abounu spoke at Otukpo while receiving the Apa local government Sole administrator, Danjuma Solomon who came to brief him on the discovery of oil seepage in his local government area and the further discovery of exploratory oil wells drilled in the 1960s by Chevron.
Engr Abounu, who described the latest discovery as welcome development, said, based on results of several geological investigations, the Benue state government was convinced, all along that the state has oil and that, all that is needed is further exploration and then exploitation of the oil.
He said that at a period of depleting oil reserves and continuing restiveness in the Niger delta, it is expedient for the government to explore new frontiers of oil exploitation to boost the nation’s stock.
Earlier, Danjuma Solomon who told the deputy governor that there were several areas of oil seepage in Apa disclosed that the villagers had been prompted to dig up the earth only to locate one of the exploratory wells drilled in the 1960’s by Chevron and that, it is evidential that there is oil.
He stated that consequently, a team of geologists visited the area and carried out some investigations which according to him tended to support the availability of oil in the state.
He, therefore, called on the state government to prevail on the federal government and the NNPC to look into the findings and commence immediate exploration.
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