The Federal Government announced on Thursday that it was lifting all restrictions for oil exploration and production as part of efforts to stop foreign oil corporations from leaving Nigeria.
According to The Punch, while hosting the leadership of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group and the Oil Producers Trade Section at his office in Abuja, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, revealed this.
In accordance with the minister’s meetings with organizations, commissions, and stakeholders in the industry, both groups paid Lokpobiri a formal visit, according to a statement made by his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Nneamaka Okafor.
The minister told his guests in the statement that “the Federal Government is committed to removing all bottlenecks impeding the ease of exploration and production in the Nigerian energy sector.”
The IPPG and OPTS teams were directed by the Executive Director of OPTS, Gwueke Ajaifia, and President/Group Chief Executive Officer of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, Abdulrazaq Isa.
The teams were made up of senior management representatives from both organizations as well as those from oil companies.
