Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State is upbeat that the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline Project corridor holds a unique opportunity to unlock the economic potential of the Bida Basin and transform the state into an industrial powerhouse.
   
Bago, who spoke yesterday at the 2026 AKK and Energy Business Development Forum in Minna, said the state would gazette the corridor and provide the infrastructure required to attract investors.
   
Describing the AKK Gas Pipeline corridor as an industrial development zone, the governor said it is part of plans to accelerate the state’s industrialisation, attract investments and drive gas-powered economic growth.
   
He disclosed that over 1,000 square kilometres of land between the AKK pipeline entry point from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its exit point in Munya Local Council Area of the state had been designated for industrial development, promising that the state would fast-track compensation on the land to pave the way for industries
   
Bago also revealed plans to establish a major Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) hub in Suleja, with groundbreaking scheduled for September, adding that the project would support cleaner transportation and unlock economic opportunities for residents.
  
Moreover, the commended President Bola Tinubu for ending fuel subsidy, saying the decision has opened new opportunities for gas development and accelerated Nigeria’s transition to cleaner energy.
   
Meanwhile, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd., Mr Bayo Ojulari, has described the AKK pipeline as a transformative national infrastructure project that would bridge Nigeria’s resource wealth with industrial prosperity.
   
Ojulari, who was represented by the company’s Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energy, Mr Olalekan Ogunleye, said the pipeline is part of the Trans-Nigerian Gas Pipeline network and would provide the infrastructure required to commercialise the country’s abundant gas resources while supporting the federal government’s target of increasing gas supply to 10 billion standard cubic feet per day by 2027, and 12 billion by 2030.
   
According to him, Niger State is strategically positioned to become a leading energy and industrial hub because of its central location, abundant land, mineral resources, hydroelectric assets, solar energy potential and direct access to the AKK pipeline.
   
Ojulari further disclosed that NNPC was extending gas distribution infrastructure to key industrial corridors and advancing plans for CNG mother stations in Izom to provide industries and transport operators with cleaner and more affordable energy.
   
Meanwhile, in an update on the project, the Managing Director of the NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), Audu Ibrahim, said construction had reached an advanced stage, with all 623.21 kilometres of mainline welding completed, trenching almost concluded and pre-commissioning activities ongoing on completed sections.