President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
to begin to search for crude oil and gas from the
Benue Trough, NNPC’s Group Managing Director,
Maikanti Baru, disclosed tuesday.
Baru said in Abuja that the president’s directive
was part of efforts by his government to guarantee
energy security for the country, through oil and
gas mining from other parts of the country outside
the Niger Delta.

The directive however came few weeks after
Buhari asked NNPC to resume oil and gas
exploration in the Chad Basin.
Baru said then that the Chad Basin was prolific and
would not be left untapped.
He disclosed the president’s directive on the Benue
Trough to a delegation of Benue State government
that paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja. The
outcome of the meeting was stated in a statement
from the Group General Manager Public Affairs of
the corporation, Mallam Garuba Deen
Muhammad.

However, reports indicate that the Benue Trough is
a major geological formation underlying a large
part of Nigeria, and extending about 1,000
kilometer north-east from the Bight of Benin to
Lake Chad.
The statement also said that both NNPC and Benue
have reinvigorated their collaboration on an
ethanol production project.
Baru noted in the statement that ethanol when
blended with petrol ensures excellent performance
of vehicles, and such energy sufficiency and
proficiency were part of the cardinal objectives of
the NNPC.

The statement also explained that the leader of the
delegation, Chief Terwase Orbunde, had earlier
commended the NNPC for resolving the recent fuel
supply challenges and pledged the readiness of the
state government to support the quick take off of
the ethanol project, as it would generate jobs for
Nigerians.
According to the statement, Orbunde assured the
NNPC of full support and cooperation from the
state government and the host communities.
He added that the government fully identified with
the energy policy of the federal government.
It said the ethanol project was part of what NNPC
initiated as its renewable energy programme in
August 2005 in conformity with the Kyoto Protocol
agreement to which Nigeria is a signatory.

It stated that the primary aim of the programme is
to link the agricultural sector with the oil and gas
industry, as well as gradually reduce the nation’s
dependence on imported gasoline, reduce
environmental pollution as a result of
consumption of wholesale fossil fuel and create a
commercially viable indust

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