Lagos State will likely commence oil and gas exploration by next year, following the large deposit of oil found in some parts of the state like Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, and the Badagry axis.
The Chairman, Committee on Energy, Mineral Resources and Waterfront Infrastructure, Hon. Lanre Ogunyemi, who disclosed this in Lagos , explained that the state House of Assembly has enacted an enabling law to that effect.
He said: “The Folawiyo Group is partnering with the Ministry of Energy in the state and very soon, Lagos would join oil producing states. Exploration trends will follow the industry’s perception of the next best resource base to explore and develop, which incorporates both the scale and quality of the resource and the cost of its development.
“Through exploration, acquisitions, strategic partnerships and technological expertise, Lagos State is in pursuit of the growth strategy. Natural gas is a future-oriented resource in global energy supplies and there are sufficient supplies of this climate-friendly, cost-effective, and safe fuel.
On the challenges of oil exploration, he said, “Competition for natural resources has driven companies to explore and produce in harsh, remote and even hostile locations, where even the simplest of logistical tasks can be difficult and costly.”
On the justification for the creation of the Ministry of Energy, Power and Mineral Resources, Ogunyemi, noted that many minerals are mined everywhere in the state, and the Ministry is driving the sustenance of provision of power for the state.
He added, “We have power plants like Alausa Power Plant, which supplies electricity to Alausa Secretariat and some parts of Obafemi Awolowo Way, and it is good for the health of the people since we have eliminated generators in these areas.
“We will soon launch the Maryland Power Plant to power government offices and other MDAs, we have Lagos Island Power Plant too,” he added.
Speaking on the persistent power failure in the country, Ogunyemi explained that there is a systemic failure in the sector, which is linked to corruption.
He said, “We have systemic failure because they have not put appropriate measures in place to achieve their projection. I found out that the government has allowed a lot of failures to happen in reforming the sector.
“They talked about distribution companies, which belong to the cronies of the people in power and that has not allowed the economy of Nigeria to grow because we need electricity for so many things.
“Some people thrive in this failure because of their gains. For as long as they allow the importation of high powered generators, there is no way we can have good power generation,” he said.
Also speaking, Hon Mufutau Egberongbe representing Apapa 1 constituency called on the Federal Government to support and facilitate the relocation of tank farms from Apapa to Lekki, which is designed for such purpose.
According to him, “Tank farms are combustible and highly inflammable and should it go up in flames, the whole Apapa would be totally razed.
Besides, Lagos State has a master plan and in that plan, tank farms are designed for the Lekki Free Trade Zone, and as such, they should be moved to that area.”
He explained that Lekki is not as densely populated as Apapa, adding that there are virgin lands in Lekki begging for occupiers.
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