The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru, on Tuesday announced that the aggressive exploration of the inland basins would soon yield result with hydrocarbon finds in commercial quantities.

Baru stated this when he received a delegation from the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, led by its President, Mr. Abiodun Adesanya, in Abuja.

He noted that based on preliminary results from the exploration activities in the inland basins so far, especially the Benue Trough, there was strong indication that commercial quantities of oil and gas finds would soon be made.

The GMD said almost 400 square kilometres of 3D seismic data had been acquired in the part of the Benue Trough that was earlier explored by SNEPCo and that similar work would be extended to areas previously explored by Chevron and Total.

He was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the corporation’s spokesperson, Ndu Ughamadu, “We are targeting these areas because we have seen that some of what they have done have some prospects, it is only that they did not drill deep enough. They also did not target the areas we believe, from the review of the seismic data, would have culminated into a find.

“So, we are reinvigorating that and soon we are going to start drilling some of the leads that we have seen to ascertain what prospects there are. And as we have pointed out, there is an indication that we could find some hydrocarbon. We believe that in the nearest future, hydrocarbon will be found in commercial quantity.”

Baru commended NAPE for its commitment to growing crude oil and gas reserves in the country, stressing that the resolutions from the association’s conference last year gave great impetus to the aggressive exploration of the inland basins, which include Anambra, Bida, Benue, Chad, Dahomey, Gongola and Sokoto.

The NNPC’s boss said he was ready to deploy capabilities within and outside the corporation to ensure success of the inland basins’ exploration campaign.

The NAPE president commended Baru for the implementation of the recommendations made at the association’s conference last year in the exploration of the inland basins.

Adesanya said NAPE was impressed with the exploration of the inland basins and that for the first time, there was a steady and consistent approach to the campaign.