INDONESIA SEEKS MORE COLLABORATION WITH NIGERIA ON OIL AND GAS SECTOR 29-05-24
By Sadiq Aminu The Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. H. Usra Hendra Harahap, has expressed his country’s desire to foster the existing collaboration with Nigeria on the development of the nation’s oil and gas sector.
Ambassador Dr. H. Usra Hendra Harahap during a courtesy visit to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Amb. Nicholas Agbo Ella, in Abuja said Indonesia was exploring ways to sustain her relationship with Nigeria.
The Ambassador particularly noted that the oil and gas sector of the economy was of common interest to both countries and would want to explore areas of more collaboration with Nigeria in that regard.
“We are looking for ways to maintain and improve a beneficial cooperation and relationship that we have held for the past 59 years”, he informed.
The Indonesian Ambassador noted that the country imported over 3.8 billion dollars’ worth of oil and gas from Nigeria in 2023 and stressed the need for Nigeria and Indonesia to resume discussions on the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the oil and gas sector which had been suspended since 2017.
He stated that a MoU would help bolster collaboration in the sector, citing the offer by the Enugu State Governor in 2023 to build a 500-megawatt capacity gas power plant.
The Permanent Secretary, Amb. Nicholas Agbo Ella noted that Indonesia had been a good friend of Nigeria, adding that the visit would help improve the relationship between the two countries in promoting Nigeria’s oil and gas for mutual benefits.
While assuring the Indonesian Ambassador that the issues around the MoU and Enugu Gas plant would be looked into, he stated that other areas of collaboration and mutual interests would be explored.