The Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has taken a bold step towards the exploration of oil and gas in Bida Basin.
A statement signed and made available to LEADERSHIP by the Senior Special Assistant, Oil and Gas Development to the Governor, Habib A. Panti, yesterday, said the Niger State government was in the process of acquiring oil blocks at Bida Basin, adding that the government has already applied for an approval to establish a refinery.
According to the statement, Aliyu has inaugurated a high-powered committee comprising commissioners and respectable professionals to look into the feasibility of the project, adding that his Royal Highness, Estu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar and General M.I. Wushishi (rtd),? would play advisory roles to the committee.
“The state government is doing all the preliminary works on the refinery and exploration projects in preparation for a joint ventureship with investors who are genuinely ready to invest to open up the basin. A lot of studies have been done by the committee,” it said.