Nasarawa State governor says first oil drilling in Keana has been postponed from March 21 to March 28 2023

The Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Audu Sule, has said that the first oil drilling activity in Keana scheduled for March 21 has been postponed to March 28. 

Speaking to Arise TV, Sule explained that the reason for postponing the highly anticipated drilling activity is because of the rescheduled gubernatorial and state houses of assembly elections which will now be held on March 18. 

• “The 21st of this month is supposed to be the drilling of the first well that was going to take place here in Nasarawa state in Keana. Due to the shifting of the election, we have also shifted the day of the commencement of the drilling of the first oil well, which will now be March 28,” he said. 

Nairametrics had earlier reported that the NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari had told Governor Sule that the final deliverables and 3D seismic data were available, so, the Keana drilling will begin on March 21. 

During the interview, Governor Sule spoke further about the state’s preparedness for oil exploration in terms of alliances, seismic procedures, and good displacement of hydrocarbons present in the state.   

Solid mineral production: According to Governor Sule, who is running for a second term in the state, solid mineral production has been going smoothly in Nasarawa. He said that the state is working in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited as well as solid mineral investors to mine and process these solid minerals. He said:  

• “Today, we can produce our granite, right here in Nasarawa state instead of just taking the raw materials outside the country. So, if you go to the new wing at the Abuja international airport, as well as the new wing at the Lagos airport, the marble that you can see on the ground, is from Nasarawa state. Those are the kind of things we have been able to do.”   

Lessons from the Niger Delta: Governor Sule noted that the environmental pollution lessons from the Niger Delta have made it possible for Nasarawa state to plan better. He said the state will engage in integrated field development; everything will be in the same location. According to him, there will be very limited pipelines, so there will be very limited spillages. He said: 

• “The refinery will be on the same side as production. Power production will be located there as well as fertilizer production. Everything will be done within the same circle, so we are not going to have these disadvantages of spillages polluting the environment like in the Niger Delta.”