Long to-do list in Nigeria

NNPC has expansion plans for its lucrative upstream, and hopes to stem losses in the downstream, as the company awaits major restructuring

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) is clearly focused on reducing the country's vulnerability to supply disruptions in the Niger Delta and increasing its crude oil reserve base. Over the past year, despite problems with the terrorist group, Boko Haram, NNPC has invested significantly in exploration in the Chad basin. During the most recent seismic expedition there, however, the exploration team and their security detail were attacked by Boko Haram fighters. Following that incident, NNPC has shifted its exploration efforts to five other Niger Delta basins: Anambra, Benue Trough, Benin, Sokoto and Bida. The likelihood of success in those basins is lower than that in the Chad basin,