Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello joined President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in the virtual commissioning of the construction phase of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline project.
The event, which took place through video conferencing, was coordinated at the Aso Rock Villa Abuja with the Governors of Kogi, Kaduna and Kano also participating simultaneously.
The gas pipeline, which is expected to be completed within 24 months, is a section of the Trans-Nigeria Gas Pipeline (TNGP) with the capacity to transport 2.2 billion cubic feet of gas per day.
The pipeline will start from Ajaokuta, in Kogi State and traverse through Abuja (FCT), Niger, Kaduna and terminate in Kano State.
Governor Sani Bello commended the President for awarding the project, noting that the project will be of immense benefit to the people of the state in particular in regard to power supply, with the project on completion, projected to unlock 2.2 billion cubic feet of gas to the domestic market and to support the addition of 3,600 megawatts of power to the national grid.
The pipeline is also said to have the potential of generating employment as it would support the development of petrochemicals, fertilizer, methanol and other gas-based industries.
It is also expected that the project, when completed, will boost domestic utilization of natural gas thereby bringing about social-economic development.
The textile industries will also be revitalized to create job opportunities in the country.
The project, which was approved by the Federal Executive COUNCIL (FEC), got awarded for engineering, procurement and construction in 2018.
