Tashikalmah Hallah and Nasidi A. Yahaya
13 November 2009
Abuja — The House of Representatives yesterday asked the government to resume the exploitation of oil and gas resources in the Lake Chad Basin, Benue, Anambra and Adamawa troughs.
The MPs in a motion sponsored by Rep Mohammed Ali Ndume (ANPP, Borno State) and supported by 63 others expressed worries that the government had for the past ten years been making promise to resume the exploration but without action.
Ndume said the exploration began in 1976, the same time oil was discovered in both Niger and Chad yet the government didn't deem it fit to continue the exploration. He said:"The NNPC moved in to begin activities on exploration and exploitation in 1982 and carried on activities between 1984 and 1998 before suspending it. 23 wells were drilled".
"The NNPC went into an agreement with a consultant to compute data and the report was submitted in 2000. Up till now, nothing tangible has been done by NNPC".
Rep Igo Aguma (PDP, Rivers State),chairman of committee on Gas told the MPs that the issue has already been captured in the Petroleum Industry Bill, pointing out that an agency has been proposed by the executive to be solely responsible for exploration and exploitation of oil and gas resources in the country.
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