The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has entered into a strategic collaboration with the Pipeline Professionals Association of Nigeria (PLAN) to strengthen indigenous technical capacity, reduce pipeline operating costs and improve financing for oil and gas infrastructure projects.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Bashir Ojulari, announced the partnership on Thursday, Nov. 12, during a meeting with PLAN officials led by its Chairman, Board of Trustees, Geoff Onuoha, in Abuja.
Ojulari identified professional training, cost reduction and innovative financing as key areas of cooperation, saying the partnership would help develop local expertise and make pipeline projects more economically viable and attractive to investors.
He said the collaboration would focus on training more pipeline engineers and developing the technical capabilities of Nigerian professionals to support the country’s expanding oil and gas infrastructure requirements.
“By working together, we will be able to reduce overall pipeline costs and make more projects economically viable and attractive to investors,” Ojulari said.
On infrastructure financing, Ojulari disclosed that NNPC Ltd. had raised $1.5 billion for the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline Project based solely on projected pipeline throughput.
He described the financing arrangement as an important development, demonstrating that pipeline infrastructure could attract funding independently of upstream or downstream petroleum projects.
He said the company would explore similar financing models with PLAN to develop bankable pipeline projects.
On pipeline security, Ojulari said NNPC Ltd. was working with government security agencies and community surveillance contractors under an integrated security framework coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The strategy combines conventional security measures with community engagement to tackle pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and other operational challenges.
According to him, the approach has improved the availability of major pipelines to between 95 and 100 per cent over the past 18 months.
He also highlighted the importance of implementing Host Community Development Trusts under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, saying stronger relationships with host communities were essential to protecting infrastructure.
Earlier, Onuoha said PLAN had consistently advocated greater involvement of host communities in pipeline operations, arguing that local ownership and participation were important to infrastructure protection.
He said the association had developed social metrics for pipeline operations to complement technical considerations and strengthen relationships between operators and host communities.
PLAN Vice President Adeche Omotosho-Oboro, who is also Managing Director of Umugini Pipeline Infrastructure Ltd., said the engagement was intended to establish a strategic working relationship with NNPC Ltd. to address challenges affecting crude oil and gas transportation.
He identified security, long-term infrastructure planning and indigenous technical expertise as priority areas for cooperation.
As part of efforts to strengthen coordination, Audu Ibrahim, Managing Director of NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company, was appointed as PLAN’s focal point within NNPC Ltd.
Ibrahim said the arrangement would provide a platform for the national oil company to draw on the collective expertise of pipeline professionals rather than engaging individual service providers separately.
PLAN is also preparing for its 2026 Nigerian International Pipeline Technology and Energy Conference and Exhibition (NIPITECS), scheduled for Nov. 17 and 18. The conference is expected to focus on financing and developing commercially viable pipeline projects.
The collaboration comes as Nigeria seeks to expand gas transportation infrastructure, improve energy supply and increase local participation in the petroleum industry.
Its implementation will depend on sustained technical cooperation, investment and effective engagement with communities hosting critical pipeline networks.
Leave a comment