Niger State Governor in North Central Nigeria, Umaru Mohammed Bago, has declared the 1,000 square kilometre corridor of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline passing through the state, as an Industrial Development Park that will transform the State into a major industrial and investment hub.
Governor Bago made the declaration at the AKK and Energy Business Forum in Minna, where he described the gas pipeline as a game changer that would unlock the state’s enormous economic potential by attracting investments, creating jobs and accelerating industrialisation.
The governor said the AKK project would stimulate the establishment of agro-allied industries, fertiliser plants, petrochemical industries and other manufacturing businesses.
He stated that the state’s abundant hydropower resources, vast solar energy potential and natural gas reserves provide the ideal foundation for rapid industrial growth.
Bago said the present administration was committed to harnessing these comparative advantages to reposition Niger State as one of Nigeria’s leading productive economies.
Governor Bago described the project as a new dawn for the state, stressing that the industrial park would not only transform Niger State and Northern Nigeria, but also have far-reaching economic benefits across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking at the forum, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described the AKK Gas Pipeline as a strategic national economic corridor that would unlock Nigeria’s enormous economic potential through investment, innovation and strong public-private partnerships.
Represented by the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Malam Jibrin Baba Ndace, the minister said the over 600-kilometre pipeline was far more than an engineering project.
He noted that it would expand domestic gas utilisation, improve energy security, accelerate industrialisation, create thousands of jobs and attract both local and foreign investments.
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He said Niger State occupies a strategic position in the Federal Government’s industrialisation agenda because of its vast agricultural land, abundant mineral resources, growing industrial base and enormous potential for gas powered manufacturing, agro-processing and power generation.
The minister said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had introduced far-reaching economic reforms, including reforms in the oil and gas sector, the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative, investments in roads, rail, electricity and digital infrastructure, as well as policies aimed at encouraging greater private sector participation in the economy.
He also reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Government to promoting policies that would strengthen investor confidence and build a diversified, resilient and globally competitive economy, while urging both local and foreign investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in Niger State.
Earlier, the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energy Directorate of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Olufemi Olalekan, disclosed that the AKK Gas Pipeline project has reached Abuja and is scheduled for commissioning in September.
Olalekan said the pipeline infrastructure had already been completed up to Kano and was being commissioned in phases, adding that work on the Niger State section was progressing steadily and is expected to be completed before the end of the year.
He expressed confidence that upon completion, the AKK Gas Pipeline would significantly boost domestic gas supply, support industrial expansion and strengthen Nigeria’s energy security.
