(Quick News Africa)- The Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN, coordinator of Nigeria’s participation at Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), at the weekend commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for its “aggressive” efforts in the search for oil in the Benue Trough and the Lake Chad Basin.
Bank-Anthony Okoroafor, PETAN president, gave the commendation while presenting three awards to Maikanti Baru, NNPC’s group managing director, who received them on behalf of the corporation.
PETAN is an association of Nigerian indigenous technical oilfield service companies in the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil industry, and aims at bringing together Nigerian oil and gas entrepreneurs in creating a forum for the exchange of ideas with the major operators and policy makers.
The awards given by the association were won by the NNPC and its GMD at the just concluded OTC in Houston, Texas, Ndu Ughamadu, NNPC’s group general manger, group public affairs division, said in a statement.
Of the three awards, two are for NNPC, including the 2017 oil industry award, given in recognition of the corporation’s “aggressive exploration campaign in the Benue Trough and the Chad Basin, and an appreciation award, for its role in the promotion of the growth of Nigerian companies and entrepreneurship in the petroleum industry.
A personal award, the 2017 oil industry leadership award, went to the Baru himself “as a mark of recognition for his leadership and outstanding contribution to the development of the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry.”
“By exploring for more oil in the Benue Trough and Chad Basin, the NNPC is working hard to grow the nation’s oil and gas reserves. This is a commendable effort and we will always identify with that,” said Okoroafor.
Baru, in response, said oil exploration in the Benue Trough and the Chad Basin “remains a duty that we must accomplish in order to increase the nation,s reserves.”
He added that the awards would spur him personally and the NNPC to achieve its sets targets, thereby creating value for the nation’s hydrocarbons for the benefit of all Nigerians and other stakeholders.
