By CrossRiverWatch admin
Maurice Ekong, the Special Adviser Petroleum Resources to Cross River Governor, Professor Ben Ayade has announced the availability in commercial quantity, crude oil reserves in the northern part of the state.
Ekong disclosed this recently in an exclusive interview with CrossRiverWatch in his office where he also disclosed that the state Government is currently engaging thoroughly with relevant stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to maximize what the state has, and “indeed become an oil producing state.”
“As I talk to you we have oil and gas deposits all the way to Ogoja. You know before now the assumption use to be that the southern senatorial district alone has the presence of hydrocarbon (but) we have this all the way to Ogoja.
“We know exactly where the hydrocarbons are, and the international community is excited about it and it is part of the reason why some of them are coming to talk to Cross River State” Ekong said.
On maximizing the oil and gas potentials of the state, Ekong said the state governments will in the next coming week kick start its tank farm for the disbursement of petroleum products following an agreement between the government and refineries abroad for the availability of refined products in the tank farm, particularly one refinery in the United Arab Emirates which he failed to mention.
The tank farm, according to Ekong will have a holding capacity of 30 million liters of refined product at a time and is meant to serve the state and its environs, as well as send a clear message on the government’s policy statement on doing business with the state.
Furthermore, he lamented the way Cross River State was being treated in the oil and gas industry despite been second to Lagos state in terms of the number of tank farms operators in it, but, assured Cross Riverians that things are turning for the better.