Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has commended the NNPC E&P Limited (NEPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), for their contributions to the energy drive requirement of the State.
The governor made the commendation during a courtesy visit by the management team of the company led by the Managing Director, Mr. Nicolas Foucart.
According to him, the NEPL is the largest corporate entity in Edo State, adding, “Apart from your size, you are also involved in very strategic economic activities, helping us drive energy requirements in our State.”
He continued: “We would have been in darkness in this room if not for the gas supply from your field. You are a major energy source for our State and your activities fit into the economic development plan for the State. We know you have been going through a bit of restructuring in the last few months and things have been a bit unsettled but I look forward to opportunities to meet with you, know your needs, know how to support your activities further and see how to benefit from your presence in Edo State.
“Your activities are far reaching. There are opportunities in the local content regulation. As a government, our focus and goal is to create that enabling environment to do more locally.”
He said Edo State is fast expanding and growing, noting, “We notice you are large users of aviation services as we try to work with the aviation authority to improve their services in the State.
“We buy gas from you for our IPP, and have few investors also waiting to buy gas from you for their turbines. We are connected as connectivity is not a problem.”
Obaseki added, “We are building MOWAA, positioning Edo as an entertainment and arts hub and trying to attract young stars. Due to our position as a State, we are attracting hotel chains to come in and are now working on a 30-year Benin City and Edo State Regional Master Plan. We are also looking at the Benin River corridor as we try to build the Benin River Port to open up the State for more developments.”
On his part, the MD, NEPL, Nicolas Foucart commended the governor for the State Government’s support and the friendly environment created for the company to thrive, adding, “We thank you for receiving us, thank you for being our host as our headquarters is here in Benin City, Edo State. Benin is very important to our company. We got one producing asset in Edo State which is Ointment III and we started producing 12,000 barrels of oil per day but it is more of the gas side which is important.
“Basically, it is an asset producing 10 per cent of the production of NEPL in terms of gas. It is an important asset and looking for a way to develop the asset. This is an opportunity to meet you and thank you for the support we received from your administration.”
