NNPCL says it has completed the main line of the AKK gas pipeline, paving the way for gas supply, industrial growth and higher oil and gas output across northern Nigeria.
Nigeria’s long-delayed ambition to move gas at scale into the northern corridor has crossed a critical threshold, as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) Limited confirms the completion of the main line of the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) gas pipeline.
Bayo Ojulari, group chief executive officer of NNPCL, disclosed this after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Lagos, describing the milestone as a turning point for gas-based industrialisation, power generation and investment-led growth across the region.
AKK pipeline milestone unlocks northern gas supply
Ojulari said NNPCL has successfully completed the welding of the AKK gas pipeline’s main line, a task that had stalled for years due to technical and terrain-related challenges, including the River Niger crossing.
According to him, the completion allows the company to shift focus to final tie-ins and distribution connections in early 2026. Once operational, the pipeline will transport gas into Kaduna, Kano, Ajaokuta and Abuja, enabling industrial parks, fertiliser plants and power facilities to access reliable feedstock.
Industry analysts view the AKK gas pipeline as a strategic backbone project that supports Nigeria’s gas transition agenda, reduces dependence on diesel and supports regional economic rebalancing.
Industrialisation, power and fertiliser to benefit
Ojulari noted that gas availability is central to catalysing manufacturing clusters and value-added industries in the North, where energy constraints have historically limited scale and competitiveness.
With gas-based industries linked directly to the pipeline, NNPCL expects improved power generation, lower production costs and stronger investor confidence. The AKK gas pipeline is also expected to deepen domestic gas utilisation, aligning with Nigeria’s long-term energy security and decarbonisation goals.
NNPC targets higher oil and gas output in 2026
Beyond infrastructure delivery, Ojulari said the visit to the president also reviewed NNPCL’s 2025 performance and strategic priorities for 2026. He disclosed that oil production has risen from about 1.5 million barrels per day in 2024 to over 1.7 million barrels per day in 2025, while gas output climbed from roughly 6.5 billion to more than 7 billion standard cubic feet per day.
Looking ahead, NNPCL plans to push oil production towards 1.8 million barrels per day in 2026, alongside further gas expansion. The strategy includes attracting new investments, rationalising assets and unlocking long-fallow fields to drive incremental production.
Ojulari added that President Tinubu has charged the company to secure significant new investments, target an additional ₦30 billion by 2030, and raise national oil output to two million barrels per day by 2027 goals that place execution, capital discipline and infrastructure delivery at the centre of NNPCL’s reform agenda.
For Nigeria’s energy sector, the completion of the AKK gas pipeline main line signals more than project progress; it marks a structural shift toward gas-led growth and a more balanced national energy economy.
