There’s crude potential in Bida Basin — Researcher
The Director of Centre of Applied Sciences and Technology Research of Ibrahim Badamasi Univeraity (IBBU) Lapai, Prof Nuhu Obaje, says there is crude potential in the Bida Basin.
Reports had quoted the Group Managing Director of the National Petroleum Corporation, Makanti Baru, as saying at the 2nd combined convocation of the IBBU recently that there is no crude potential in the Bida Basin.
But speaking during a lecture of American Association of Petroleum Geologists at the weekend, Obaje said the university had been committed to the hydrocarbon exploration research in the Bida Basin long before the strategic partnership with NNPC commenced.
“Even from the GMD’s explanation that we are on the 4th stage, if the 1st to 3rd stage were faulty, you would not get onto the 4th stage. So there have been no controversies at all. The elements are coming together and when the cycle is complete NNPC with IBBU standingby, will drill for oil and/or gas at the appropriate locations.
“There have been previous claims attributed to IBBU and also to Niger State Government that oil has been discovered in commercial quantities in the Bida Basin. These were just media hypes. We knew more than that to jump to such conclusions. At IBBU, our results are in high impact journals (prior to NNPC intervention) and nowhere there were oil discovery reported.
“That is not to say we are not heading for success. We are surely heading for success as the elements are coming together,” he said.