Crude Oil Discovery in North Will Boost Job Creation—NNPC

By Adedapo Adesanya

Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari, has said the recent discovery of hydrocarbon deposits (crude oil) in the Gongola basin would bring about a lot of employment opportunities in the country.

He made this disclosure while speaking at the recently concluded 9th Edition of the Practical Nigerian Content Summit in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State.

The GMD, who was represented at the event by Mr Farouk Sai’d, Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services, NNPC, said there were a lot of possible ways the Nigeria economy in general and the oil and gas Industry in particular could reap from the recent discovery in the Kolmani River II well in the Upper Gongola Basin section of Benue Trough.

“Between the discovery of hydrocarbon in the Gongola basin and bringing the oil to the market, a lot of processes would be triggered which would snowball into a labyrinth of productive activities with the potential for massive job creation across the value chain,” he said.

He also said that with the initiation of these processes, the economy stands in a firm position to embrace the projected wind fall in thousands of direct and indirect employment, noting that as long as there were activities, employment will continue

He further disclosed that that more discoveries await the Oil and Gas Industry in the Dahomeh Basin and Anambra Basin that would bring more jobs and employment for the people.

Mr Kyari assured that the primary focus of the National Oil Company, was to consolidate its role as the major enabler of the Nigerian economy, which is based on increased exploration activities in such a way as to bring maximum benefits to all stakeholders.

On the contributions of local content to the success in the frontier basin, the NNPC GMD stated that the Nigerian Content policy had remained a catalyst in this regard.

He said the Nigerian content drive had ensured the participation of Nigerian companies in several businesses across the entire value-chain, these areas include crude oil lifting, oil exploration and research and development, among others.