The authorities of the University of Maiduguri,has said it would not be deterred by the attack on its personnel by suspected Boko haram terrorists, stating that it would not hesitate to participate in future crude oil exploration in the Lake Chad Basin, whenever the Federal Government chose to return to the site. A statement issued by the NNPC quoted the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Ibrahim Njodi, saying this in Maiduguri while receiving a delegation from the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC led by Mr. Saidu Mohammed, Chief Operating Officer in charge of Gas and Power unit of the NNPC.
This was as the Borno State Government called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to continue its quest for the discovery of crude oil in the state, and not to allow the attack discourage it and cause it to discontinue crude oil search in the region. NNPC said it is considering short term palliatives for families of victims of the attacks. At the University of Maiduguri, Njodi pledged the commitment of the institution to go the whole hog with the NNPC in the search for commercial hydrocarbon deposits in the Chad basin despite the recent attack.
According to him, though the entire university community was distraught by the cruel incident of July 25th 2017, the University cannot ‘Chicken out’ from doing what it is supposed to do when eventually the NNPC re-organizes and return to exploration work in the area.
He said the University’s partnership with the NNPC dated back to over 12 years, when the NNPC flagged off exploration activities in the Chad Basin.
Njodi described the cruel attack on the Frontier Exploration Services/Surface Geochemistry Sampling team comprising the NNPC, Consultants from University of Maiduguri, Consultants attached to the Integrated Data Services Limited, (IDSL) a subsidiary of the NNPC and Civilian escort team, as an act of God.
He noted that the situation, painful as it might appear must be seen as a necessary sacrifice for the development of the country. He, however, called on the NNPC to stand firm beside the university and the families of the bereaved and provide the much needed support to overcome the massive setback wrought by the insurgent attack. In his response, Mr. Saidu Mohammed said as a responsible corporate entity the NNPC would do everything within its means to support the university and the families of the victims of the attack.
He said, “We have been great partners with the University of Maiduguri for many years and certainly when losses like this happen and under this circumstance, we cannot abandon our partners to their fate.” The Statement added that the Federal Government and NNPC delegation also visited the Governor of Borno State at Government House Maiduguri. Speaking on behalf of the State Government, Deputy Governor of Borno State, Mr. Usman Durkwa, charged the NNPC not to allow the attack to dampen its morale in the quest for new oil finds in the region.
Before leaving Maiduguri, the statement noted that the delegation paid a visit to the Theatre Command Headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole where a formal condolence letter from the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources was handed over to Brigadier General Stevenson Olabanji, who stood in for the theatre commander.
According to the statement, Olabanji restated the readiness of the military to perform its statutory role of providing security cover for exploration activities in the Chad Basin and beyond.
