The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has reached a critical milestone on the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project with the completion of its main line, a development expected to boost gas supply, industrial activity and power generation in northern Nigeria.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this on Sunday after briefing President Bola Tinubu in Lagos.
Ojulari said the successful welding of the main pipeline followed the long-delayed crossing of the River Niger earlier in the year, removing one of the biggest obstacles to the completion of the strategic gas infrastructure.
According to him, the completion of the main line now allows NNPC to begin connecting distribution points to the pipeline in the early part of 2026.
“This will bring gas in its full form to Kaduna, Kano, Ajaokuta and Abuja, enabling the development of industrial parks, fertiliser plants and gas-fired power generation,” he said.
Ojulari explained that his visit to the president was to present a performance update for 2025 and outline NNPC’s operational and investment priorities for the coming year.
He said structural reforms within the company, supported by President Tinubu, had translated into improved oil and gas production levels.
Nigeria’s crude oil output, he said, has risen from about 1.5 million barrels per day in 2024 to over 1.7 million barrels per day in 2025, while daily gas production has increased from around 6.5 billion to more than seven billion standard cubic feet.
Looking ahead, Ojulari said NNPC’s core focus in 2026 would be on scaling up production through increased investment and better asset management.
He said the company is targeting at least 1.8 million barrels per day of oil production next year, with further growth expected in gas output.
Ojulari added that NNPC plans to rationalise its asset portfolio in order to attract fresh capital for incremental production and to develop oil and gas fields that have remained dormant for years.
He disclosed that President Tinubu has tasked NNPC with mobilising an additional $30 billion in investment by 2030 and raising national crude oil production to two million barrels per day by 2027.
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