Leadnaija
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Engr. Bayo Ojulari, has announced that the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project has reached 72 percent completion as of the end of Q1 2025.
Ojulari made the disclosure during the 2025 edition of the Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (OLEF), organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria. Represented by NNPC’s Executive Vice President of Upstream, Engr. Udobong Ntia, Ojulari addressed participants on the theme “Driving Energy Sustainability Through Technology, Policy, and Supply Chain Excellence.”
He said the AKK project, which is valued at $2.8 billion, is a key part of Nigeria’s drive toward energy security and economic development. “We are on track with the AKK pipeline project, which is critical to improving domestic gas utilization and enhancing industrial growth across the northern corridor,” he stated.
Speaking on the broader energy challenges on the continent, Ojulari noted that over 600 million Africans remain without access to electricity — a situation he described as both a major challenge and a transformative opportunity for the sector.
The NNPC GCEO underscored the role of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector in national development, highlighting that the industry contributes over 85% of the country’s export earnings and remains a cornerstone of government revenue.
He pointed to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of 2021 as a transformative policy that has repositioned NNPC into a commercially-driven enterprise focused on value creation.
As part of the ongoing Energy Transition Plan, which aims for net-zero emissions by 2060, Ojulari said the company is expanding its Autogas initiative to convert over one million vehicles by 2026. He added that projects like the AKK pipeline are central to achieving Nigeria’s climate and economic targets.
