ACCRA — West African Exploration and Production Company, 85 per cent owned by the Dangote Group, has contracted three jack-up rigs to develop oil blocks OML 71 and 72, about 22 kilometres from Bonny. Managing Director Cecilia Ajayi told Africa Oil Week in Accra that drilling will start in December. The blocks hold more than 1.6 billion barrels of oil in place and about 1.9 trillion cubic feet of gas. Production resumed in December 2025 at about 4,500 barrels per day.