Vice-Chancellor, University of Maiduguri, Prof. Ibrahim Njodi, on Monday assured the NNPC that it would not abandon the search for commercial hydrocarbon deposits in the Chad basin in spite of the recent insurgent attack on lecturers of the university.
Njodi gave the assurance in Maiduguri when receiving a delegation from the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and the NNPC.
In a statement signed by Ndu Ughamadu, NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Njodi said that the entire university community was saddened by the incident of July 25.
“The university will not chicken out from doing what it is supposed to do when the NNPC re-organises and returns to exploration work in the area,’’ the statement quoted the VC.
He described the attack on the Frontier Exploration Services/Surface Geochemistry Sampling team – made up of consultants from the university, NNPC staff, soldiers and civilian escort team – as an act of God.
Njodi called on the NNPC to stand firm with the university and the families of the bereaved by providing the needed support to overcome the massive setback caused by the insurgent attack.
Earlier, Mr Saidu Mohammed, NNPC’s Chief Operating Officer in charge of gas and power unit, said NNPC would do everything possible to support the university and the families of the victims of the attack.
“We have been great partners with the University of Maiduguri for many years and certainly when losses like this happen and under this circumstance, we cannot abandon our partners to their fate,’’ Mohammed said.
The NNPC delegation also paid a visit to the state government, where the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Durkwa, also urged the corporation not to allow the attack to discourage the search for new oil fields in the region.
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