‘Time not ripe for Africa to abandon fossil fuels’
The Principal/Chief Executive, Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Engr. Dr. Samuel E. Onoji has stated that the time is not right for Africa to abandon the use of fossil fuels but research should be conducted on ways to develop local technologies that enable the exploitation and utilization of oil and gas in a more environmentally friendly […]
The Principal/Chief Executive, Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Engr. Dr. Samuel E. Onoji has stated that the time is not right for Africa to abandon the use of fossil fuels but research should be conducted on ways to develop local technologies that enable the exploitation and utilization of oil and gas in a more environmentally friendly manner.
Speaking during a press conference to mark the 4TH Biennial International Conference on Hydrocarbon Science and Technology (ICHST) in Abuja, Onoji said the institute has taken a bold step to kick-start research and development effort that takes cognizance of the peculiarity of Africa’s hydrocarbon situation.
“With an estimated 125 billion barrels of crude oil reserves and over 600tcf of natural gas reserves in Africa, it is our considered opinion that Africa should not hasten to abandon fossil fuel but should strive to deepen research and development of local technologies that enable the exploitation and utilization of our oil and gas endowment in a more environmentally friendly manner as the reality of global demand for fossil fuel is expected to linger for the next 50 years.”
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He stated that only a few African countries have been able to master certain aspects of oil production technology and fabricate key machineries for the industry.
He added that the conference intends to focus on research in such areas with the aim of developing local content capacity in oil technology.
“So, there is a need to utilize this gas, because the Western nations have used this gas and the crude oil here to develop their economy.
“And because of a shortage of oil and gas in the Western nations, they termed oil and gas as dirty water. But of course, it is not. Now, for PTI, technology is important. We understood very well that there is a lot of divestment in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and even in Africa as a whole. And we, as Africans, want to take steps to address this gap that we exist in.”
He added that the Petroleum Training Institute, in partnership with some other organizations, is working very hard to develop local technology that will help to exploit crude oil production as oil exploration is simple.
“We talk of oil exploration, we talk of drilling, we talk of production, we talk of processing. We have mastered this area. We have been in the business of oil and gas for the past 53 years and so local technologies have been developed to exploit this oil and gas. We are not waiting for 2060,” he added.