Determined to end the unending dependence on imported raw materials for the petroleum and gas industry in Nigeria and raise competences within the industry for their local production, the Raw Materials Development and Research Council (RMRDC) and the Petroleum Technology Development fund (PTDF) have set up a joint committee for the local production of oil drilling mud.

Speaking while inaugurating a 10-man standing committee made up of RMRDC and PTDF officials for local production of raw materials for crude oil drilling mud, in the Council’s Headquarters recently, the DG RMRDC, Professor Hussaini Ibrahim stated that the combined effort of RMRDC and PTDF will bring a turnaround in the oil and gas industrial sector by building capacity for local production of the needed raw materials import for the industry.

‘’The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) is aware that the mandate of the Petroleum and Technology Development Fund (PTDF) covers the development of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry through the building of human and institutional capacities amongst other considerations. These are what inspired the Council’s decision to seek collaboration with PTDF in the area of local production of raw materials that could substitute or improve some of the important oil drilling mud materials like Barite and Bentonites which the petroleum industry spends huge foreign exchange- every year’’ Prof. Ibrahim said.

Giving the objective of the partnership, the RMRDC Boss emphasised the importance of the exercise to the federal government efforts towards increased local content in the nation’s oil and gas sector of the economy, even as he averred that the project will go to the specifics of enhancing the gravity of Banite and ensure local availability of sodium-based Bentonites for drilling mud production.

Speaking further, Prof. Ibahim said two projects have been identified and selected for implementation out of five by the two agencies namely; research and development of calcium to sodium based Bentonite for use in drilling mud; and research and development on the impact of Nigeria’s Barite and Ilumenite on enhancing the drilling mud weigh in the oil and gas industry.

The RMRDC DG further listed five more projects for future partnership between PTDF including the establishment of pilot plant for the production of developed zeolite catalyst for oil refining, which was funded by PTDF and operated by Ahmedu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and others.

Earlier the head of the PTDF delegation and chairman of the RMRDC/ PTDF standing committee for local production of raw materials for crude oil drilling mud and expressed the willingness of PTDF to partner with the Council on the projects and thanked the RMRDC DG for finding it worthy to involve PTDF in this worthy national assignment.