The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has renewed efforts to revive stalled oil exploration in Borno State following talks with Governor Babagana Zulum.
The company’s Non-Executive Chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, led a delegation to meet the governor at the Government House in Maiduguri on Wednesday to discuss the exploration programme and delays in upgrading the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant.
Zulum pledged the state government’s support, including security for exploration personnel and facilities. He attributed the suspension of previous operations to the discontinuation of a gas supply arrangement rather than insecurity.
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The governor also urged NNPCL to expedite the power plant upgrade, expressing concern that equipment had remained at the site for about two years without completion.
Kida assured the state government that the company would work to address the outstanding challenges.
The renewed engagement follows an appeal by the North-East Governors’ Forum for the Federal Government to revive stalled exploration activities in Magumeri and Gubio local government areas of Borno. The forum made the call at its 13th regular meeting in Maiduguri on October 2 and 3, 2026.
The exploration programme seeks to assess the petroleum potential of the Lake Chad Basin. However, NNPCL has not announced a resumption date, and commercially viable oil reserves have not been confirmed by the latest commitment.