With all the changes in the energy landscape, what is the perspective of a young professional who has graduated with a degree in geology who has diversified into data science? What is the view of the world from that perspective?

With those thoughts in mind, we interviewed Adejoh Christian Ugbedeojo who is living, studying and working in Nigeria.

What Is Your Name and Background?

Adejoh Christian Ugbedeojo

I grew up in a catholic home with my Dad and Mum being a very religious pair. I had to attend catechism classes and literally spent most of my time in church. Hence, growing up I wanted to become a catholic priest. Though my Dad was in the academia being a senior lecturer in Business Administration he was a disciplinarian to the core while my Mum who is a secondary school teacher was the lenient one.

Education

I did my primary education in Queens Science Nursery and Primary School Madalla, then I proceeded to St. Mary’s Catholic College Kwamba where I did only JSS1. Because I wanted to attend a boarding I was transferred to St. Augustine’s College in Kabba, Kogi State. Then again the priesthood vocation came back knocking and I was taken to the seminary to complete my senior secondary education. In 2009 I was admitted into St. Clement’s Minor Seminary Lokoja, Kogi State where I completed my secondary education.

After graduation in 2012, I went straight the school of basic and remedial studies (SBRS) Funtua, Katsina State. The Interim Joint Matriculation Board Programme was very intensive one-year programme that prepares first school leavers to face the university education. Finally, in 2014 I gained admission to one of the most prestigious universities in Nigeria (Ahmadu Bello University) to study Geology.

In 2021 I was offered scholarship to learn the introduction to programming with Udacity. Here I learnt the basis of HTML, CSS, Python and how use them to style websites and build layouts. Then my interest in the tech grew exponentially and then I applied for the New York CitiBank scholarship with Udacity to train young tech scholars in full stack web development. I was privileged to be selected among the 100 trainees and I am currently learning Java, Sql and Java-script programming languages to become a full stack web developer.

Work Experience

Niger Delta

I worked with the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) during my SIWES programme. I was attached to CGC construction company to learn the Geology involved in Bridge construction. From drilling, to performing several laboratory tests on the basement rock samples.

In 2018 during my National Youth service, I was posted to work with the Nigerian Air-force and also prepare their students for WAEC and NECO examinations. I moved to Lagos, Nigeria in November 2019 after completing my one year Mandatory National youth service. I got employed to work with one of the fastest growing streaming company in Nigeria (Nevada Bridge TV) as a Marketing Executive. I was also made a facilitator to train people on soft-skills acquisition with Jobberman.

What Has Been Your Experience With Nigeria’s Oil Industry?

So in 2016, working with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) subsidiary PPMC basically exposed me to the technicalities involved in marketing of refined petroleum/petrochemical products, its sourcing and evacuation from local refineries which is subsequently distributed across the country through its pipelines.

What Are the Main Off-Shore and On-Shore Reserves? Petroleum Geology (Source Rock, Reservoir Rock and Trapping Mechanism)

Petroleum System of the Off-shore Benin Basin

The Off-shore Benin Basin includes several potential source rocks, many reservoir rocks and a variety of potential trapping mechanisms, some of which have a significant potential. Oil and gas occurrences are concentrated in Cretaceous reservoirs.

At least two Petroleum Systems (PS) with unlike concepts plays exists in the Offshore Benin Basin.

• The Upper Cretaceous PS consisting of Albian to Conacian marine and terrestrial source rocks and Cretaceous reservoir rocks.
• The Lower Cretaceous PS consisting of Lower Cretaceous lacustrine source rocks and Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks.

Source Rocks

In the Off-shore Benin Basin, proven potential source rocks which have produced oils are shales sequences of Ise, Albian, Abeokuta and Agwu formations.

Reservoir Rocks

The reservoir rocks are mostly Cretaceous turbidites sandstones with minor potential limestone units. Stratigraphic units that contain proven reservoirs in the shallow-water discoveries are mainly late syn-rift Albian sandstones and transitional Cenomanian to Turonian marginal marine and turbidite clastic rocks.

Trapping Mechanisms

Both structural and stratigraphic traps are present in the off-shore Benin Basin. Structural traps are associated with each main tectonic stage. Syn-rift anticlinal traps , detected only from seismic data are associated with the terminations of regional fracture zones in the off-shore parts of the Dahomey Embayment (SAPETRO, 2010).

All stratigraphic traps (unconformity with shale) forming seal on the top of reservoir rocks were shaped before the end of the cretaceous.

Petroleum System of the Agbami Field

The five wells drilled so far in the agbami field penetrated an average of 107m of oil with production test results suggesting a recoverable reserve potential of 1 billion stock bank bbl (STB) of sweet crude (ChevronTexaco 2001, 2003, 2005 anf Famfa, 2005).

According to Narahara et al (2005), the facility design capacity for the field includes:

• 250, 000 stock tank bank per day (STB/D) oil.
• 450,000 cubic ft per day (Mcf/D) gas production
• 250,000 STB/D water production.
• 450,000 STB/D liquid production.
• 450,000 STB/D water injection.

Source Rock

Although source rock potential exists in lacustrine deposits of the pre-delta rift sequences. The Akata shale is considered the principal source rock in the Agbami field and indeed for most of the other fields in the Niger Delta (JDZ, 2004).

Reservoir Rock

Petroleum in the Niger Delta is produced from sandstone and unconsolidated sands predominantly in the Agbada formation. Known reservoir rocks are Eocene to Pliocene in age and are often stacked, ranging in thickness from less than 15 meters to 10% having greater than 45 meters thickness (Evamy and Other 1958).

Traps

Most known traps in Niger Delta fields are structural although stratigraphic traps are not uncommon. The structural traps developed during synsedimentary deformation of the Agbada paralic sequence (Evamy and others, 1978; Stacher, 1995). Doust and Omashola (1990) describe a variety of structural trapping elements are associated with simple rollover structures, clay fillled channels, structures with multiple growth faults, structures with antithetic faults and collapsed crest structures.

Stratigraphic traps occur on the flanks of the delta. In this region, pockets of sandstone occur between diapiric structures. Towards the delta toe (base of the distal slope), this alternating sequence of sandstone and shale gradually grades to essentially sandstone.

The On-shore Qua Ibo field

I currently do not enough information about the petroleum geology of this field. However, it is the main on-shore reserve in Nigeria. It was discovered by shell in 1962 and appraised in 1971. Oil was encountered in two primary sandstone reservoirs.

What Are Some of the Challenges Facing Exploration and Production in Nigeria Today?

One of the major problems associated with oil production is the destruction of people’s livelihood which is the soil and farmlands through gas flaring and oil spillage. In the process of oil production, Nigeria flares about 24 billion cubic meters or 0.84 trillion cubic feet of associated natural gas every year. Oil spills cannot be totally avoided in oil drilling operations but the challenge in the case of Niger Delta is the magnitude of the spills and its regular occurrence

Another major challenge facing exploration in Nigeria today is the deliberate act of damaging petroleum pipelines with the sole aim of stealing crude oil and associated petroleum products. Nigeria currently adopts the use of pipelines as a means of transporting oil from one place to another in the country, these pipelines though can be seen to be poorly secured thereby making them prone to continuous attack by criminals.

A recurring problem in the Nigerian oil and gas industry is the inability of the government through the national oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to meet its funding obligations, especially to its Joint Venture operations. The funding level has not been sufficient and it has hindered the operations to pursue drastic growth opportunities in the crude oil exploration in the country.

Maintenance of the refineries is another core issue surrounding the lack of a satisfactory output in the Nigerian oil industry.

What Are Your Recommendations?

• The provision of more gunboats for security and enhanced logistics support to enable it step up its efforts in checking criminal activities aggressively along waterways and creeks.
• Government under-funding of joint ventures will need to be addressed by exploring and implementing alternative funding models in order to ensure adequate resourcing of exploration initiatives and increase funding in place for sector growth (Wale Tinubu) CEO Oando Nigeria Plc.
• Operation of refineries at full capacity with more modern forms of technological infrastructure should be of paramount importance