The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering 50 megawatts of electricity to Maiduguri and resuming exploration activities in the Chad Basin, following a meeting with Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.
The NNPC delegation, led by the chairman of its board, Engineer Ahmadu Musa Kida, met with the governor at the Government House in Maiduguri on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Discussions focused on the Maiduguri Emergency Power Project (MEPP), the proposed solar farm and plans to restart exploration activities at the Chad Basin.
Kida commended the Borno State Government for providing land for the proposed solar farm and supporting efforts to secure federal intervention for gas supply to the emergency power project. He assured the governor that NNPC remained committed to completing ongoing projects, including bringing the combined-cycle power plant on stream to provide 50 megawatts of electricity to Maiduguri.
The NNPC chairman also disclosed that the company recorded a profit after tax of ₦7.2 trillion in 2025, compared with ₦5.4 trillion in 2024. On oil exploration, the company’s Executive Vice-President for Upstream, Udy Ntia, expressed optimism about resuming seismic data acquisition at the Wadi-1 site through NNPC Energy Services Limited. The operation was suspended in April 2025 following security threats and is expected to resume once adequate security guarantees are secured.
Governor Zulum assured the company of the state government’s support in providing security for the resumption of exploration. He also proposed that maintenance of exploration equipment be carried out locally to speed up operations, waived statutory land charges for the proposed solar farm and urged NNPC to consider extending the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline from Kano to Maiduguri.
The meeting signals renewed efforts to strengthen Borno State’s energy infrastructure, with the proposed 50-megawatt power supply expected to improve electricity availability in Maiduguri if the project is completed as planned. The resumption of Chad Basin exploration, however, remains dependent on adequate security arrangements.
