As mourners across Nigeria observed the three -day Islamic prayer for the repose of the former President Muhammadu Buhari, one of the projects his administration initiated that will be remembered for a long time to come, is the AKK project that is set for commission.
The Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline is a 40-inch by 614km linear pipeline system running from Ajaokuta in Kogi State to Kano with associated intermediate, terminal gas facilities and other related equipment to transport natural gas to off-takers in the northern part of Nigeria.
BusinessDay recounted that the idea of initiating the AKK project was mooted by Abdul Samad Rabiu, founder of the BUA Group, at the One-Day Presidential Townhall Meeting with Community Leaders held in December 2017 in Kano.
During the meeting when the idea of the project was brought forward for discussion, the former President, who presided over the meeting quickly bought into it, and directed that the project be captured in the following year`s budget of his administration for implementation.
Today, eight years after the project was conceived, the new leadership at the helm of affairs of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), has recently announced that Oilserv Limited, and other consortium of Brentex CPP, the contractors constructing the pipeline project had successfully crossed the River Niger, a development considered as a major breakthrough in actualisation of the project.
The actualisation of the project which the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is pursing with vigour, is estimated to cost $2.8bn, and is regarded as a flagship project aimed at enhancing domestic gas utilisation, improving power generation, and creating new industrial corridors.
Crossing the River Niger is a critical milestone that had previously posed significant technical and commercial challenges to the ongoing project, Bayo Ojuari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, confirmed while speaking, recently at the Nigeria Oil and Gas Energy Week Conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
Last month, the NNPC said the AKK project was over 70 percent completed, noting that the company has surmounted the biggest challenge to the project activation, adding that the pipeline will be completed before the end of the year.
“It would deliver gas to multiple markets across the country and support long-awaited industrial growth in northern Nigeria. We all know the story of the AKK. I don’t need to start talking about it. But one of the biggest challenges that the project has faced was the ability to cross the river Niger.
“So, there are tough technical challenges. The team of NNPC has had to work with the contractors to bring in specialist capability that was not available, and very difficult commercial rearrangements. To ₦6tn In May, Oil Output Hits 1.7mb/d,”Ojuari stated
The NNPC`s group chief executive officer, also announced a full recovery in pipeline infrastructure security and capacity across the country, adding that as of June 29, 2025, the country had achieved 100 per cent pipeline availability, a feat he described as “previously unthinkable” given the long history of sabotage and vandalism in the sector.
“For years, whenever we gathered at this event, we lamented the insecurity around our pipeline network and its impact on crude oil production. But I am pleased to share with you today that, through collective efforts of the federal government, regulatory bodies, the military, and the industry, we have 100 per cent pipeline availability today.
“As of last month, we averaged 1.35 million barrels per day in crude production, and with condensates, it came to about 1.6mbpd. So now that the pipelines are available, the question becomes: where is the production,” Ojulari explained.
However, he noted that while pipeline access is no longer a constraint, the country’s oil production levels remain below potential.
Ojulari attributed the suboptimal output to years of underinvestment, warning that Nigeria must urgently attract new capital into the oil and gas sector to take full advantage of the restored infrastructure and favourable market dynamics.
“We have solved the infrastructure bottleneck; now we need investments to raise production. The stars are beginning to align, and this is the time to act,” he said.
SOURCE: businessday.ng
