Nigeria hope say dem go begin deliver gas to di capital city Abuja by July using di long-delayed Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, di upstream oil regulator talk. Dis one go be big milestone for di country’s gas development plans.

“We dey hope say by July, gas go reach Abuja through di AKK gas pipeline,” one spokesperson for di Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission tell di regulator’s own magazine.

Di 614-kilometre (382 miles) pipeline dey designed to carry more dan 2.2 billion cubic feet of gas per day. E be core part of Nigeria’s plan to change di country’s energy mix to gas, supply power plants and industries for di north, and reduce how dem dey rely on diesel and fuel oil.

Nigeria get Africa’s biggest gas reserves, estimated to pass 210 trillion cubic feet, but plenty of di country’s gas infrastructure still no well-developed. So di AKK pipeline be critical test for di gas-led growth plans.

Di $2.8 billion project, wey dem first plan since 2008, don miss several delivery targets, including earlier deadlines like 2023 and di last quarter of 2025.

Dem start construction for 2020 but e slow down because of funding wahala and engineering challenges, especially di crossing of River Niger. Dat section, wey many people talk say be di most technically hard for di whole project, need dem to drill under di riverbed using horizontal directional drilling. Some people dey compare am to small-small version of di Eurotunnel.