Sopuruchi Onwuka

The domestic gas market is set to further expansion with the imminent completion of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline the critical connections along whose route are expected to be competed in the next six months.

Ad >>>

Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bayo Ojulari, declared at the ongoing Nigerian Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week in Abuja that one of the critical connections across River Niger has been surmounted.

The pipeline, spanning 614km, is designed to deliver 2.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. It opens up huge northern market for producers and operators of processing facilities in the south of the country.

For full commercial and economic effect at completion, the AKK is to necessarily connect to the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) pipeline into which a number of gas processing facilities in southern parts of the country would essentially feed specification gas in order to reach the market.

The Oracle Today reports that whereas the AKK crossed the River Niger, the investors in the domestic gas industry still have their hearts in mouth over the struggle of one of the local contractors handling a lot of the OB3 with crossing the southern stream of the River Niger.

Ojulari stressed the significance of the river crossing as a milestone towards delivery a key government gas objective, adding that the feat was achieved through effective and innovative contract reengineering and industry collaboration.

 “Before the end of 2025, we will complete the pipeline connections. This achievement isn’t about NNPC, it’s about all of us,” he stated.

He pointed out that the significant challenges in Nigerian oil and gas industry have revolved around pipeline availability and security, problems he said are leading to “the inability to achieve our production targets.”

He noted that collaboration with wider industry has enabled government evolve different solutions to surmount the challenges and achieved 100% crude oil pipelines availability and boost crude oil production throughout June 2025.

He assured operating companies of the readiness of the national oil company to meet its cash call obligations and called for more investments to boost production.

He said the NNPC Limited has started raising financing for all its businesses and works in collaboration with its partners to unlock projects.

“This has been productive,” he declared.

With the AKK pipeline approaching completion, he stated, it would further remove constrains on production from gas-prone fields by providing commercial vent for gas output into the market and leveraging full oil production with minimal flaring.

He thanked all the stakeholders, including security personnel who have been supporting the company in achieving its mandates in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

He pointed that the AKK pipeline would, completion by Q4 2025, ultimately surmount existing constitution challenges, open up the northern corridor and deepen the domestic gas market.