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AKK gas project progresses amidst teething challenges

Work on the $2.6 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project, launched by President Muhammadu Buhari, is progressing amidst some challenges, Daily Trust Saturday reports.  President…

Work on the $2.6 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project, launched by President Muhammadu Buhari, is progressing amidst some challenges, Daily Trust Saturday reports. 

President Buhari had on July 1, 2021, launched the 614-kilometre AKK gas pipeline project, which he said would further enhance the country’s energy security.

In a virtual launch, Buhari said the project would provide gas and facilitate the revival of moribund industries in the country.

“Today marks an important chapter in the history of our great country. It marks the day when our domestic natural gas pipeline networks from Obiafu in Rivers State, Escravos in Delta State and Lekki in Lagos State, are being connected through Kaduna to Kano states, thereby further enhancing national energy security,” the president said.

He said the project would create direct and indirect employment while fostering the development, technology transfer and promotion of local manufacturing.

“We promised the country that we would expand the key critical gas infrastructure in the country to promote the use of gas in the domestic market.

“These include the Escravos to Lagos pipeline system – 2 (ELPS-2), Obiafu- Obrikom-Oben (OB3) pipeline and the AKK. I, therefore, directed the NNPC to ensure that these critical projects are completed on time, within budget and specification,” he added.

The Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline is a 614-kilometre (381.5-miles) pipeline developed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) to transport natural gas from southern Nigeria to central Nigeria.

The project represents phase one of the 1,300-km (808-mi) Trans-Nigerian Gas Pipeline (TNGP) project, which is being developed as part of Nigeria’s gas master plan to utilise the country’s surplus gas resources for power generation, as well as for consumption by domestic customers, according to NS Energy

Five months after the launch, checks by our correspondents at Ajaokuta (Kogi), Kaduna and Kano ends of the project showed that works are ongoing, notwithstanding some challenges.

A visit by our correspondent to the Ajaokuta end of the project in Kogi State showed that the contractors were on site laying pipes.

The project camp, which is located about 5 kilometres away from the Anyigba-Adogo-Okene highway, was a  beehive of activities as workers were seen giving out their best to ensure that the project is completed to specifications, and as scheduled.

Articulated vehicles were seen at the site negotiating in and out, with a load of gas pipes for the project, which runs through Lokoja-Abuja-Kaduna, down to Kano. 

The site engineers said they would not volunteer information on the state of things with the gas project, except on orders from above.

However, a curious survey shows that the work is going on smoothly, notwithstanding some challenges.

A worker who spoke on condition of anonymity identified the rocky topography of the area as one of the challenges affecting the speed of work at the Ajaokuta end.

This account posited that the carved out pipe lane along the highway is laden with hard rocks. 

He said it took them a lot of effort to be able to break through the rocks to lay the gas pipes.

He added that the topography also made it difficult for trucks bringing in the pipes to access the area.

Besides the issue of topography, the rising challenge of insecurity, especially kidnapping and banditry, is also said to be impacting negatively on the progress of the project.

It was learnt that the activities of kidnappers along that axis often instil fears in the minds of the workers.

He said the menace of kidnappers on the prowl in the areas had always instilled fear into workers, adding, however, that security personnel have been drafted to keep vigil to ward off the activities of hoodlums.

It was gathered that some time ago, kidnappers took advantage of security lapses at the project’s subsite in Ajaokuta and abducted some of the workers, a situation that slowed down the speed of work.

Given the peculiar security situation of the area, it was learnt that security operatives are usually drafted to keep vigil in order to ward off the activities of criminals while workers are on site.

Our correspondent also learnt that the project’s sub campsite in Ajaokuta and other places have been fortified with the necessary security personnel for the safety of workers and equipment.

Meanwhile, the completion of the gas project as scheduled may not be feasible, as an insider in the gas project said it took about eight years to complete that of Oben, with only 67 kilometres in the southern region of the country. It might take more years to complete the laying of the gas pipe from Kogi to Kano, which is over 600 kilometres apart.

It was further gathered that a lot of gas pipes have been laid since work commenced, but the company is yet to link up with its Gwagwalada sub-station.

 

Movement of pipes ongoing at Kaduna end

In Kaduna, there is heavy movement of pipes for the 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project.

Our correspondent observed many trailers carrying three pipes each along the Kaduna-Zaria highway.

It was further observed that the pipes are being transported to the project site along the highway for onward movement to the location, where the pipelines are being laid.

Our correspondent who visited the project office at Mararaban Jos community, along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, observed that quite a number of pipes have been brought as there were in plain sight.

There was also the presence of security personnel and construction workers, while heavy machinery were being moved by security convoys, which signifies that work is in progress.

Although our correspondent was unable to visit the actual location where the pipes are being laid due to security challenges, it was, however, gathered that work is gathering momentum as the deadline of 2023 draws near.

An engineer who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity said, “We are working night and day to see that we meet the deadline; that is why we provided a makeshift camp at the location for workers.”

Locals in the community are, however, hopeful that the project would create jobs and employment opportunities. 

“We the indigenes of Igabi Local Government where the project is located are hopeful that the youth would be engaged and given the opportunity to be part of the project. This is something we hope the management would consider,” Ibrahim Igabi said.

 

Compensation ongoing in Kano

In Kano State, a committee on the AKK implementation project was set up by the state government for a smooth operation of the project.

It was gathered that the gas terminal station is located at Tamburawa village in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of the state. This was officially declared as the site’s planning the location for the sitting of the proposed gas industrial layout under the NNPC’s Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline project.

A visit to the site revealed a cleared land with no visible structure. A local in the area, Malam Usman Shehu, said many farmers had received compensation for their land, earmarked for the project.

He said the first phase of compensation had been concluded as virtually all affected farmers had received their payments.

Another resident of the area, Malama Hauwa Bulama, said her husband had received his payment on two of his farmlands, adding that he is currently waiting for the payment of the second land.

“Virtually everyone in this village received his payment on the first phase of land collected; we are waiting for the payment on the second phase,” she said.

The commissioner for information in the state, Malam Muhammad Garba, had revealed that the committee set up by the state government on the AKK project had gotten the state Executive Council’s approval to carry out its mandate, and it was working with the officials of the federal government.

The commissioner added that while a draft of the proposed layout had been produced, the Council directed the state’s Bureau for Land Management to liaise with the committee and come up with final documents for the new industrial layout.

The AKK project is being implemented through a build-operate-transfer, public-private partnership model, whereby the contractor provides 100 per cent of the capital.

The project, which is expected to be completed within 24 months, would enhance industrial development and promote local manufacturing through the utilisation of the country’s widely available gas resources.

Considered the largest gas pipeline to be initiated in Nigeria till date, the TNGP is expected to transport between 11 and 24 million metric cubic meters per day of natural gas, in turn, forming part of the trans-Saharan pipeline system.

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