The energy of a nation is largely conditioned by the extent of prospective, surveyed and
extracted oil and gas reserves and other natural resources. Hence this is the main source of
Nigeria economy. The oil and gas sector in Nigeria has many aspects where it functions;
firstly, the confirmation of any natural resources on the earth crust is through drilling.
Drilling is a single important aspect of oil and gas sector for without drilling, there is no
access to the natural resources available below the earth crust. Drilling is a process of
making a hole in the earths’ surface for the purpose of creating access to the desired
resource below the earth crust. Drilling process should be conducted safely least cost and
minimum or no damage to the environment [1]. One of the important materials used in
drilling is the drilling fluids commonly call drilling mud. The is of two types – water based
mud and oil based mud and drilling fluids and design and production of these drilling fluid
becomes utmost important because of its role in drilling [2,3]. Companies involved in the
design and production of drilling fluids in Nigeria for the oil and gas sector have over the
years imported the materials to produce mud or in some cases imported already designed
and produced drilling mud. In this case, industry in this sector adjust the properties of the
drilling fluid with the aid of the right types of additives which are also imported to suit the
formation requirements of the area to be drilled. This has been a major challenge especially
to the indigenous companies involved in the oil and gas because they have to import these
materials at high costs and this has not allowed them to compete favorably with their
foreign counterparts. Research into this area is thus necessary. Country like India, where
cheaper substitutes for production of different goods and services are found (including the
oil and gas sector and the production of drilling fluids), using their local materials. This has
improved their economy with benefit of job opportunities that are created with their own
natural resources which means reduction in the amount of importation