Nigeria: Two Gas Routes Set to Reshape Supply Path to Abuja, North

Nigeria's gas network is nearing a point where two major pipelines will serve different parts of the country, with OB3 ready for first gas and AKK preparing early supply to Abuja in 2026. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, gave the update in its July 2026 report, putting OB3 at 100 per cent and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline at 95 per cent completion.

The projects are important for the direction in which gas can travel through Nigeria. OB3 is designed to connect gas supplies between the eastern and western parts of the country, creating a route across those areas.

AKK has a different destination. It is being built to carry gas to Abuja and then onwards to northern Nigeria.

NNPC said the OB3 River Niger Crossing had completed pre-commissioning work in preparation for first gas in August 2026. For AKK, construction and installation work are at an advanced stage, with early gas to Abuja planned for 2026.

The two projects therefore sit at different points in the same gas infrastructure programme. OB3 has reached the first-gas stage, but NNPC has not given a specific commissioning date for AKK.

River crossing opened OB3 route

The most difficult part of the OB3 project was the crossing beneath the River Niger, which was completed in April.

Engineers drilled about two kilometres under the river using horizontal directional drilling technology. NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company, a subsidiary of NNPC Ltd, delivered the work.

The completion of that section allowed the full capacity of the 130-kilometre OB3 pipeline to be activated.

OB3 is designed to transport as much as two billion standard cubic feet of gas each day. NNPC said more than 500 million standard cubic feet per day of extra gas could become available for the domestic market in the near term.

The company said the supply could have implications for electricity generation, manufacturing and exports.

The pipeline's history stretches back to 2016, when construction began. The $700 million project has missed several completion deadlines before reaching its current stage.

NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer Bayo Ojulari praised those involved in delivering the River Niger section.

“I commend everyone involved for their doggedness and for staying the course to deliver this strategic national asset,” he said.

AKK points gas towards Abuja

The AKK pipeline is being built along a different supply path. Its planned route is from Ajaokuta through Kaduna to Kano, with gas intended first for Abuja and then northern Nigeria.

NNPC's July report puts the project at 95 per cent completion. It said construction and installation work are at an advanced stage for early gas delivery to Abuja in 2026.

The report does not give the pipeline's expected gas capacity. It also does not provide a specific date for commissioning AKK.

That leaves OB3 as the project with the clearer near-term position. Its River Niger crossing has been completed, its pre-commissioning work has been completed, and NNPC has placed it at 100 per cent.

AKK, on the other hand, is still at 95 per cent, with early gas to Abuja planned within 2026.

The distinction is important because the two pipelines are not serving the same route. OB3 is intended to connect eastern and western gas supplies, whereas AKK is intended to carry gas towards Abuja and northern Nigeria.

The projects show two different routes being developed within Nigeria's gas transportation system. One has reached the first-gas stage; the other is nearing completion and is being prepared for its first supply to Abuja.