Boosting Nigeria’s economy through steady executive of national gas infrastructure plan, by Mustapha Isah

The NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of NNPC Limited, recently announced the successful completion of the River Niger Crossing of the 130-kilometre Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) Gas Pipeline, marking a major milestone in the expansion of Nigeria’s national gas transmission network.

For more than a decade, one of Nigeria’s most important infrastructure projects was stalled, not for lack of money, shortage of will or the usual Nigerian bureaucracy, but the River Niger itself 

The successful crossing will unlock the full potential of the OB3 Pipeline, a strategic infrastructure designed to transport up to two billion standard cubic feet of gas per day, significantly strengthening energy availability, improving supply reliability, and accelerating national economic development.

The technically complex operation was executed approximately two kilometres beneath the River Niger riverbed using advanced horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology. It is the most technically ambitious pipeline crossing ever attempted on home soil. The project commenced in 2016 with an original completion date of March 2024.

It was delivered by the NNPC project team in collaboration with PCE Nig. Limited. The River Niger Crossing is being described as one of the most challenging sections of the OB3 Gas Pipeline due to its depth, terrain, and technical requirements.

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With its completion, the pipeline has now achieved full connectivity, positioning it as a critical backbone of Nigeria’s gas transmission infrastructure, linking production zones in the east to demand centres across the country.

The successful crossing marks a defining moment for Nigeria’s gas infrastructure and will enhance supply reliability, deepen domestic utilisation, and support power generation and industrial growth nationwide.

The achievement builds on earlier engineering successes, including the AKK River Niger Crossing completed in June 2025, which helped strengthen internal execution capacity for complex infrastructure delivery.

The project reflects the deliberate use of engineering innovation, strong project governance, and the commitment of technical teams and partners.

The gas project is being fully supported by the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly through the Gas-to-Prosperity agenda, which has been key in enabling strategic energy infrastructure development.

The OB3 Gas Pipeline is a key component of Nigeria’s national gas infrastructure plan, designed to connect the Eastern gas network with Western demand centres and extend supply connectivity through the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline corridor. 

With the River Niger Crossing completed, the project is expected to unlock over 500 million standard cubic feet of additional gas supply in the near term, boosting electricity generation, industrial expansion, and domestic gas utilisation.

It also supports Nigeria’s long-term production targets of three million barrels of crude oil per day and 12 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day by 2030. The OB3 River Niger Crossing represents a strategic national asset that strengthens energy security and enhances the country’s economic transformation agenda.

The Nigeria national gas infrastructure plan will result in the establishment of a connecting pipeline network between the eastern, western and northern regions of Nigeria. It also aims to create a steady and guaranteed gas supply network between the northern and southern parts of Nigeria by utilising the country’s widely available gas resources.

The Bola Tinubu administration and NNPC management deserve commendation for the steady and progressive execution of the critical national gas infrastructure plan which is pivotal to achieving zero gas flaring and uninterrupted supply of gas to power stations, translating to more megawatts on the national grid. The completion is also good news for business owners and manufacturers.

Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, while hailing the completion of the gas project, said publicly that it would attract $2 billion in new investment into the Nigerian economy. This is good news.

More projects like this will definitely fast track meeting President Tinubu’’s target to grow the nation’s GDP to $1 trillion by 2030. 

. Isah is a former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).

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