Lawal Ibrahim
3 November 2008
Katsina — The Katsina state governor, Ibrahim Shehu Shema, has expressed optimism over the discovery of more oil deposits whose prospects is large in concentration within the sahelian regions in the Northern parts of Nigeria.
Governor Shema told newsmen in Katsina, amidst the recent discovery of oil in Sudan, Niger Republic and parts of the Central African Republic, which he said have ignited high hope of possible discovery of oil and other mineral deposits in the region.
He said that with the new technology making the prospecting of oil easier and less complicated than it was, discovery of oil is not only feasible within the desert prone areas but much more possible in Katsina. "These discoveries have shown clearly that oil can be found in all terrains contrary to the earlier impression that seemingly excluded nations that exist within the realm of the Sahara desert, because Niger Republic shares a similar terrain with Katsina, Borno and other states that are surrounded by the desert," he said. Shema who debunked the pessimism for lack of commercial oil quantity in the Lake Chad basin, said "the example of Chad basin, I think is the same thing that has happened in Sudan and Niger were certain surveys have disproved the data which indicated that oil cannot be found in commercial quantities."
He said his administration has not foreclosed hopes of discovering oil deposits in the state through the recently established Department of Resources Development (DRD) which has so far discovered eighteen mineral deposits with higher possibility of exploring more in the state.
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