The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has announced plans to commence gas supply to Abuja for electricity generation through the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline next month.

NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this on Wednesday at the 2026 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) in the United Arab Emirates.

He said the 614-kilometre pipeline would initially deliver gas to Abuja, with Kaduna and Kano expected to receive supplies from next year.

Ojulari explained that the development would support electricity generation and create opportunities for gas utilisation across industrial centres and data centres in northern Nigeria.

He also confirmed that the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline project had reached 100 per cent completion, adding that efforts were underway to increase its supply capacity to one billion cubic feet of gas per day.

On the government’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, Ojulari said the programme had helped reduce transportation costs by up to 60 per cent since its introduction following the removal of petrol subsidies in 2023.

He disclosed that more than 400 CNG conversion centres were operational, while over 1,000 trucks had been deployed to transport petroleum products using the alternative fuel. The company plans to expand the number of CNG stations to more than 1,000 by the end of 2027.

On the proposed NNPCL Initial Public Offering (IPO), Ojulari said the company was prepared for the exercise but noted that the timing would depend on a decision by its board.

He further revealed that Nigeria’s active oil rig count had increased to 70, while the planned commissioning of Train Seven of Nigeria LNG Limited next year is expected to raise the country’s annual LNG production capacity from 22 million tonnes to 30 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, NNPCL Executive Vice President, Udy Ntia, said the company was prioritising operational efficiency, production cost management and technology to strengthen its upstream operations.

Speaking at a separate panel, NNPCL 18 Managing Director, Ibiyemi Asaolu, warned that production losses caused by shutting down oil wells cannot simply be recovered when operations resume.

She argued that prolonged production interruptions result in revenue losses for operators, highlighting the importance of maintaining consistent output across oil-producing assets.