After years of delay, NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), has successfully completed the River Niger Crossing of the 130-kilometre Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) Gas Pipeline.

The national oil company, in a statement yesterday signed by its spokesman, Andy Odeh, said the development marked a major milestone in the expansion of Nigeria’s national gas transmission network.

The completion of the pipeline project, which runs from Obiafu/Obrikom in Rivers State to Oben in Edo State, had been repeatedly stalled, with the most persistent issue being the crossing of the Niger River, which required complex engineering.

According to NNPC, the successful crossing unlocks 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, enhancing supply reliability, and accelerating national economic development.

Executed approximately two kilometres beneath the River Niger riverbed, the national oil company stated that the technically complex crossing was delivered by the NNPC project team working with PCE Nigeria Limited, using advanced Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technology.

Commenting on the achievement, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Bayo Ojulari, described the milestone as a testament to disciplined execution and technical excellence.

Ojulari stated, “The completion of the OB3 River Niger Crossing is a defining milestone for Nigeria’s gas infrastructure and a clear demonstration of what disciplined execution and sustained commitment to excellence can deliver.

“By successfully traversing one of the most technically challenging sections of the project, we have unlocked a critical link that will enhance gas supply reliability, deepen domestic utilisation, and support power generation and industrial growth across the country.”

Ojulari stated that the achievement built on NNPC’s growing engineering and execution capability, drawing from the successful Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) River Niger Crossing in June 2025, to deliver an even more complex crossing in the Niger Delta environment.

He stated, “This achievement is not incidental. It is the result of deliberately leveraging and upscaling our AKK engineering and execution excellence through rigorous project governance, innovative engineering solutions, adaptive problem-solving, and the unwavering commitment of our teams and PCE Nig. Limited.

“The OB3 Pipeline is central to our ambition of building an integrated and resilient gas network that underpins Nigeria’s energy security and economic development. I commend everyone involved for their doggedness and for staying the course to deliver this strategic national asset.”

Ojulari acknowledged the critical support of key stakeholders, especially the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, whose gas-to-prosperity agenda and commitment to a conducive business environment, he said, had been instrumental in making the achievement possible.

He also commended the guidance of NNPC Board of Directors under the leadership of the chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, while recommitting to translating Nigeria’s oil and gas resources into a better standard of living for all citizens.

He said, “At NNPC Limited, we remain fully committed to translating Nigeria’s oil and gas resources into a better standard of living for all citizens.

“We will continue to collaborate with our partners to deliver projects that expand energy availability, stimulate industrialisation, and improve the overall wellbeing of Nigerians.”

Ojulari expressed his appreciation to the host community for its consistent support to the project; the management and staff of NGIC for their doggedness in achieving the milestone; and PCE Nigeria Limited for its professionalism, stating that the contractor’s innovative approach and disciplined workforce are pivotal to the project’s success.

He highlighted the strategic significance of the milestone against the backdrop of the federal government’s oil and gas production growth targets of three million barrels of crude oil per day and 12 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day by 2030.

The successful River Niger Crossing, he explained, ensured that Nigeria’s gas-producing regions were now physically interconnected with the rest of the country.

The OB3 pipeline serves as a backbone gas infrastructure linking the Eastern gas network to the Western network and extending connectivity to the Northern corridor through the AKK Pipeline.

In the near term, the successful crossing is expected to unlock over 500 million standard cubic feet of incremental gas supply for the domestic market, supporting power generation, industrial growth, and gas supply to the West African market.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, congratulated NNPC on the successful completion of the crossing on the OB3 gas pipeline, describing the achievement as a pivotal advancement in Nigeria’s gas infrastructure development.

Ekpo stated that the successful execution of the technically complex crossing unlocked the full potential of the OB3 pipeline, a strategic national asset with the capacity to transport up to two billion standard cubic feet of gas per day. This, he noted, will strengthen gas supply reliability while supporting power generation and industrial growth.

The minister hailed the feat as a major boost to the “Decade of Gas” initiative and a concrete step towards advancing Tinubu’s “Gas to Prosperity: Renewed Hope Agenda” particularly by enabling the interconnection of Nigeria’s gas networks and accelerating the delivery of gas to domestic and industrial users.

He commended the GCEO, board, management, and staff of NNPC and its subsidiary, NGIC, as well as the project contractors and host communities, for their professionalism and resilience in delivering the project. (This Day)

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