The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has achieved a major technical milestone in the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project.
Speaking on Monday, December 29, 2025, the Group CEO of NNPC Ltd, Bashir Ojulari, confirmed that the company has completed the welding of the 614km mainline, including the critical and long-delayed River Niger crossing. This development effectively clears the path for the northern half of Nigeria to be integrated into the national gas grid for the first time.
The project, which has faced three major deferments since its flag-off in 2020, is now entering its final integration phase. The physical laying and welding of the 40-inch diameter pipes from Kogi to Kano are now 100% complete.
More so, the complex underwater engineering at the Niger River, which stalled progress for years, was successfully finished during the summer of 2025, as NNPCL targets early 2026 to start the flow of gas. The remaining work involves connecting the mainline to terminal gas stations and intermediate pigging stations.
Ojulari described the AKK pipeline as more than just an energy conduit, it is a “strategic economic catalyst” intended to revive the moribund industrial hubs of the North.
The GCEO also used his end-of-year briefing to President Bola Tinubu to outline ambitious targets for the coming year including the projected to rise to 1.8 million barrels per day (mbpd) in 2026, up from the 1.7 mbpd average recorded in late 2025; the drive to ensure that gas production exceeds 7 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscf/d), and following reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), NNPCL’s focus to secure over $30 billion in new investment decisions by 2030.
“This is about industrialization-fertilizer plants, power generation, and gas-based industries. We expect to see industrial parks spring up across Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano as we bring gas in its full form to the North.” – Bashir Ojulari, GCEO, NNPC Ltd.
