Bayo Ojulari, group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, says the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project reached 72 percent completion rate at the end of the first quarter of 2025.
Ojulari announced the development at the 2025 Oloibiri lecture series and energy forum (OLEF) organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja.
In his keynote address, Ojulari, represented by Udy Ntia, NNPC executive vice-president, upstream, said globally, upstream oil and gas companies are expected to invest more than $30 billion in digital technologies in 2025.
“These technologies are not optional extras. They are foundational to improving asset reliability, lowering lifting costs, and reducing greenhouse gas effects,” he said.
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“At the NNPC Ltd., we have embraced digital transformation not as a buzzword but as an operational imperative. We have embraced this reality with deliberate strategy.
“Our upstream subsidiary is deploying real-time reservoir monitoring, predictive maintenance, and AI-driven subsurface imaging to drive value and operational resilience.”
Ojulari said its digital transformation roadmap is anchored on three core pillars: intelligent automation, data governance, and cyber resilience.
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“But beyond revenue, our hydrocarbon wealth must now become a bridge to a broader, more sustainable energy future. Technology is no longer an enabler. It has now become a fulcrum,” the NNPC boss said.
“In alignment with Nigeria’s energy transition plan, targeting to achieve net zero emissions by 2060, the NNPC Ltd. has initiated gas-led transition programmes, including the expansion of autogas programme, targeting more than one million vehicles through 2026.
“Energy transition is not a story. It is a global necessity, but its pathways must be shaped by local realities. Africa cannot afford a transition that leaves its people in the dark.
“As we forge ahead into this new energy era, let us remember sustainability is not a destination. It is a journey, a journey powered by technology, guided by sound policy, and anchored on a robust ethical supply chain.”
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In June 2024, the federal government said the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project would be delivered by the first quarter of 2025, but the deadline has been missed.
