The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has assured Nigerians that the country’s energy scarcity will be over in the next 10 years.
The NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, disclosed this Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the seventh edition of the Nige rian International Energy Summit held in Abuja.
In a statement by the NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, assured stakeholders of the company’s commitment to work with them to close the energy deficit gap and create prosperity for Nigerians.
“From all indications, all issues of energy scarcity in the country would be over in the next 10 years,” he stated.
Kyari described the NNPCL as the largest partner to all the oil-producing companies in Nigeria, assuring that its role in the divestment of the international oil companies from onshore and shallow water assets in the country was that of a facilitator and not an obstacle.
According to the NNPCL boss, by its statutory mandate as the enabler of national energy security, NNPCL’s role is to ensure that, at the end of the day, there is optimal and sustainable production from the divested assets to guarantee energy security for the benefit of Nigerians.
Kyari also disclosed the company’s willingness to invest in the proposed African Energy Bank as a way of ensuring sustainable funding for energy projects in Africa to guarantee energy security.
“On investment in energy infrastructure to drive energy security, the GCEO further disclosed that the completion of the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben Pipeline was in sight as the tunnelling across the River Niger was currently ongoing,” the statement read.
The event was attended by stakeholders, including the Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Haitham al-Ghais; Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation; Omar Farouk Ibrahim; Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo; and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, who represented President Bola Tinubu.
Source: The Punch