Buhari orders NNPC to commence oil exploration in Benue trough

 President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to commence the search for crude oil in the Benue Trough.

This is contained in a statement by the NNPC, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Maikaniti Baru, which he released after receiving a delegation from the Benue State Government, who paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

This is coming few days after the same directive was given to the NNPC to intensify crude oil exploration in the Chad basin.

Baru stated that the directive to commence exploratory activities in the Benue Trough was part of efforts to guarantee energy security of the country.

 In addition, the NNPC also stated that it has reinvigorated its collaboration with the Benue State Government on the Ethanol project which is geared towards production of biofuels for energy sufficiency.

Baru noted that ethanol when blended with Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, otherwise known as petrol, ensures excellent performance of vehicles, stressing that energy sufficiency and proficiency were part of the cardinal objectives of the NNPC.

The Benue Trough is a major geological formation underlying a large part of Nigeria, extending about 1,000 kilometer north-east from the Bight of Benin to Lake Chad. It is part of the broader Central African Rift System.