The exploration team of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Tuesday arrived Benue State to begin the search for oil and gas in the Benue trough.
In the coming days, the team will be acquiring seismic data that would guide it in deciding the next stage of the exploratory work in the state, The Nation reports.
Speaking with the team upon arrival at the Benue People’s House, Makurdi, yesterday, the state’s acting Governor, Engr Benson Abounu expressed delight that the NNPC is now set to begin the exploratory work in the state, having finished work on the Nasarawa State end of the trough.
He assured the team led by the Group General Manager, Frontier Services, NNPC, Dr. Mazadu Bako, that the state government and the Benue people will do all that is possible to give them the conducive atmosphere within which to operate without hindrance.
Engr Abounu said the security challenges in the state arising from herdsmen attacks notwithstanding, the state government will not allow anything to hinder the progress of the exploration work.
To achieve that, he announced the setting up of a committee headed by the Secretary to State Government to work together with the team, as well as with the security agencies to ensure a hitch-free operation of the exploratory work.