http://dailyindependentnig.com/2012/12/ebonyi-in-pursuit-of-oil-status/

Posted on Monday, December 24th, 2012

By Felix Uka Reporter, Abakaliki

The report from the archive revealed that the first discovery of the oil was made on February 22, 1928, just as a tentative report was sent to the Director of Geological Survey on February 25 of the same year.

A detailed report was submitted on March 28, 1928. Part of the report reads, “On April 1928, a memorandum was received from the Director of Geological Survey saying that the fluid was certainly crude oil of medium to high specific gravity, and its discovery by you is of the greatest importance.” From the recovered documents, a sample of the oil was forwarded to the British government in London on July 5, 1928.

In an earlier correspondence, the Director of Geological Survey, Mr. P.O. Kinna on May 9, 1928 wrote to the Chief Secretary to the Government, Lagos on the topic: Oil at Ngusu (sic) Nguzu stating that

“I have the honour to forward a report by Mr. Bain on the Oil Seepage at Ngusu (Nguzu) which he examined in January and February this year.

“The seepage of oil is similar to that previously described from near Awgu (Now in Enugu State) and those occurrences warrant the hope that oil may yet be found in the beds in greater quantities.”

The document went further to state that the oil appears in the bed of a small stream about half a mile from the West of the Ngusu (Nguzu) Rest House, which lies some 14 miles south west of Afikpo.

In any case, one of the leaders of the team of investigators from the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Isaac Okorie an Assistant Director in charge of geological survey spoke to Daily Independent as to the technical state of affairs as concerns the Ebonyi crude oil.

His words: “There have been lots of reported crude occurrences around Ebonyi belt. Some people took samples of crude to our Abuja office. They claimed that they got it from here (Edda). We got in touch with the state government, visited the location, saw capped well, by capped, yes after drilling a well you cap it and mark information on it. They claimed that our office dug the well; we used to answer Geological Survey Office in the colonial era. We went to the second site where the sample they took to Abuja was brought from. Between now and January we will go there again. We are drawing programmes to determine the preliminary investigation of the entire area, the result of that will tell us if there is oil or not.

Geologically speaking, he explained that not just that you have evidence of crude oil that determines if it can be mined. He said that there are several factors that will result to presence of crude oil, first the formation and transportation of the crude, that is the float in the bowel of the earth. He did not give the estimated cost of the investigations, noting that it is done in phases. “At this point we are looking at hundred million naira,” he said.

Even as nothing could yet be declared, Okorie raised the level of optimism that at last there could be oil in the Ebonyi basin saying clearly, “Sure it (Edda) is a sedimentary environment and oil can only be found in such a sedimentary environment but other factors count.”

He added that the Niger Delta is a sedimentary basin just like the Afikpo syncline, end point of Anambra basin where oil was found, stating that, “If the Edda basin is not sedimentary we wouldn’t have gone there though not all sedimentary environment have oil but we can say that it is qualified to be investigated.”

So, the Ebonyi people are praying, in the offing for the final findings and results from the federal authorities. Should it be positive, Ebonyi would become another oil producing state in Nigeria; no doubt truly the later rain, greater than the former.

Oil in Imo, Abia, Anambra, and now Ebonyi. There is also strong evidence of oil in Enugu. Alaigbo awash with the black gold? Curse or blessing?

Good

Germannig: Oil in Imo, Abia, Anambra, and now Ebonyi. There is also strong evidence of oil in Enugu. Alaigbo awash with the black gold? Curse or blessing?

I hope its a blessing. Anyway, these recent crude oil discoveries in the Southeast means that Nigeria's crude oil reserves could last another 50 years from 2043.

Good 4 Ebonyi.

*speechless*

so does this stop tmrw from being tuesday?

To be candid, I cannot say if this a blessing or a curse.

Having schooled in River State, this oil thingy hardly go down to the grass-roots. Only the people at the top take the entire wealth. I wish this oil can be explored by an indigenous oil company especially one from the eastern part of the country, with this we will be able to guarantee that business remains within and checkmate pollution and community development and involvement.


Else we will continue to be ............see pic

dz has certainly got to be true....hop dey dont finish derself b4 d final declaration

and that may be the begining of their problem!

Kamavu ihe a ma ebusara ndi ive mmekpo azi, wo hapuwa. Kama, o wuru wo choro I wesara anyi ihe oma wo to mmeji maka anyi achoo ka agamu ihe ohu na-eme ndi Rivas na Bayelsa mee kwa anyinde.

Onwe onye ihe oma na-so aso?

Dia must be oil in southwest and benue too.

Good news..congrats Ebonyi

Fisherman.com:
Dia must be oil in southwest and benue too.

4 benue yes bt 4 west na oye soup

Fisherman.com:
Dia must be oil in southwest and benue too.

but on a more seros note i belev dia is oil in d southwest apart frm ondo wic is already producng badagari nd part of ogun state holds some prospect d same goes 2 benue especaly d idoma nd egede areas

Don't let your politicians mislead you. There's more to life than oil....

Soon all alaigbo will be oil producing state.

good news

how come there's no oil in lagos?? Even if na groundnut oil or palm oil at least make e be say oil dey lasgidi! Eko oni baje o

Oyel money

good for them.

Oil will never solve the problems of Nigerians

Oil in this state, oil in that state...celebration..!!!!
BEfore you celebrate know this: OIl can be found in just any sedimentry basin geologically but it remain to be seen whether it is commercially viable. What is the essence of having a few thousands of barrels oil beneath when it cant be extracted?

Without oil, Enugu State is already ravaged by serious environmental degradation ala soil erosion which they find hard to manage. Compound this with the environmental impacts of Oil exploration n production they will be better off without the 'oiyel'.

Ikwere fist son: 4 benue yes bt 4 west na oye soup

what do you mean man?ondo state is the fourth largest oil producing state and lagos wn is stll untapped,don't forget ondo also host the second largest bitumen in the world,fuel can also be extract from it,not all dis yeye lil quantity oil producing state.

Am happy for my state. Let them wait till i become the governor so that i can put it into a better use. I know my Edda is a great land, and thats where i come from. But the richest man in the world is not an oil dealer, i wont substitute computer science for petroleum engineer.