Nigeria Records Increased Oil Output …Minister Hails Post Amnesty Programme

Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, has said that the country’s oil production has increased due to the peace in the Niger Delta region.

Allison-Madueke said this on Tuesday in Lagos at a two-day technology conference and exhibition at Eko Expo Centre

The minister attributed the increase to the progressive impact of the post amnesty programme of the Federal Government.

She said that the country’s oil reserves as at January were about 37.2 billion barrels for oil and Tcf for  gas.

The minister, who was represented by Mr Andrew Obaje, Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), said that the government anticipated tremendous increase in the near future.

Alison-Madueke said that she hoped that stakeholders at the conference would come out with a better way forward for the country’s oil and gas industry.

The minister, however, said that the country’s valuable resources had not been fully exploited in an efficient and economical manner due to the limited technological resources available in Nigeria.

“I am delighted to be here today to share with this body of professionals the current and future technology challenges in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

“Current Nigeria’s deep offshore oil and gas resources are yet to be fully developed and exploited despite government efforts to attract international investors,’’ she said.

The minister said the production of deep offshore resources was underpinned by the availability of the state-of-the-art technology, which had posed a major challenge to the sector.

“Our vision for the oil and gas industry is to have a sustainable growth in a manner that is profitable, safe, efficient and environmentally friendly.

“The Federal Government focus is on critical short and medium term deliverables that will create the desired impact on the generality of Nigerians,’’ she added.

The minister said that Nigeria needed to invest heavily on deep offshore discovery, exploration and exploitation.

According to her, the deepwater field poses great challenges to operators because of the difficult terrain and the use of electronic instead of the traditional hydraulic-controlled system.

Mr Samuel Odey, the Minister of State, Ministry of Niger Delta, said that the first batch of the ex-militants would be trained in Calabar in various skills that would be of benefit to the region and Nigeria.

“This development is an indication of growth and total commitment from the government to ensure an effective post-amnesty programme in the region.

“Technology is the cornerstone of oil and gas industry in Nigeria and there is the need for all stakeholders to ensure the growth of the industry,’’ Odey said.