ANKARA 

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday launched a $2.6 billion gas pipeline project that will further enhance the country's energy security, local media reported.

In a virtual meeting, Buhari said the project will provide gas and also facilitate the revival of moribund industries in the West African country.

"Today marks an important chapter in the history of our great nation. 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 Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) quoted Buhari as saying.

The Nigerian head of state said the project will create direct and indirect employment while fostering the development, technology transfer and promotion of local manufacturing.

“We promised the nation that we will 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 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-kilometer (381.5-miles) pipeline developed by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (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 utilize the country’s surplus gas resources for power generation as well as for consumption by domestic customers, according to NS Energy.