Precious Anga
Lagos — Nigeria’s ambition to unlock the full economic value of its natural gas reserves will require a decade-long expansion, modernisation and digitalisation of its pipeline infrastructure, energy experts have said.
The experts, Dr Eloho Innocent Amagada, Chief Executive Officer of Amelin Projects Ltd, and Engr Reuben Temerigha, Managing Director of Westend Diamond Energy Ltd, spoke at the 2026 International Pipeline Conference and Expo, IPCE, in Canada.
Amagada said the challenge confronting Nigeria was no longer the availability of gas, but the lack of a sufficiently reliable, intelligent and secure pipeline network capable of delivering the resource to power plants, industries and export facilities.
Speaking in a presentation titled, ‘Robust Pipeline Network Systems: Critical Assets for Economic Development’, delivered during a Canadian Trade Commissioner Service Business-to-Business matchmaking programme, he said Nigeria had about 215.19 trillion cubic feet, TCF, of proven natural gas reserves, while its existing gas pipeline network spans more than 2,500 kilometres.
He said substantial investment was needed to expand the network to meet rising domestic and export demand.
According to Amagada, dependable pipeline infrastructure is critical to power generation, fertiliser production, petrochemicals, manufacturing, compressed natural gas, CNG, liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, and liquefied natural gas, LNG.
He identified ageing infrastructure, insecurity, third-party interference, environmental concerns, difficult terrain, right-of-way constraints and host community issues as major challenges affecting pipeline development and operations.
Amagada urged operators to shift from reactive pipeline management to predictive integrity systems that can identify and address threats before they result in failures.
He said intelligent in-line inspection, corrosion monitoring, Geographic Information Systems, GIS, artificial intelligence, AI, and risk-based inspection should become standard components of Nigeria’s pipeline integrity management framework.
He also advocated real-time leak detection systems, fibre-optic monitoring, integrated Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, SCADA, systems, drones, satellite imagery and AI-enabled video analytics to strengthen pipeline surveillance and security.
For pipeline construction in difficult terrain, he recommended technologies including Horizontal Directional Drilling, HDD, microtunnelling, LiDAR, satellite mapping and remote sensing.
Amagada cited the River Niger crossing for the 130-kilometre Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben, OB3, gas pipeline as an example of how advanced construction technology can address complex geographical challenges.
He said HDD technology was deployed to cross beneath the River Niger, while the OB3 pipeline was designed to transport up to two billion cubic feet of gas per day.
He said Nigeria’s gas strategy must therefore combine new pipeline construction with digitalisation of existing assets, continuous integrity monitoring, integrated security and stronger engagement with host communities.
He also called for greater investment in local capacity for pipeline inspection, non-destructive testing, corrosion management, robotics, data analytics, digital twins and pipeline cybersecurity.
“No decade of gas without a decade of pipeline infrastructure,” Amagada declared.
He said opportunities in Nigeria’s pipeline sector extended beyond new construction to engineering, inspection, corrosion protection, cybersecurity, remote monitoring, rehabilitation, data analysis and maintenance.
Amagada disclosed that his company recently inspected a 55-kilometre pipeline and identified more than 3,000 defects, including significant wall loss in some sections.
He said the findings demonstrated the need for regular, technology-driven inspection and stronger pipeline integrity management.
Temerigha, in his presentation titled, ‘Pipeline Integrity in Nigeria and the Shared Environmental Responsibility’, called for risk-based pipeline integrity management, safe field intervention and community-monitored environmental recovery.
He said pipeline integrity assessments should consider the interaction between multiple defects and operating conditions, which could combine to create greater risks than individual defects considered separately.
He recommended combining high-resolution in-line inspection with operational data and targeted field verification to provide a reliable basis for maintenance and repair decisions.
Temerigha cautioned operators against using pipeline age as the sole basis for determining inspection and repair priorities.
“Assessment priorities should follow risk rather than a universal age threshold,” he said.
He said risk prioritisation should consider the likelihood and consequences of failure, including identified defects, operating pressure, maintenance history and potential impacts on people, communities, waterways and sensitive habitats.
The expert also stressed the need for qualified personnel, reliable inspection records and clear accountability for resolving identified defects.
Citing lessons from the 2010 pipeline incident in Marshall, Michigan, he stressed the importance of properly assessing interacting defects and ensuring that identified anomalies are followed by timely decisions and appropriate interventions.
Temerigha also advocated safe intervention methods that protect workers while minimising gas releases during maintenance.
He said technologies such as double block and bleed and hot tapping should only be deployed following qualified engineering assessments confirming their suitability and the effectiveness of required safety barriers.
Beyond technical integrity, he said pipeline maintenance and rehabilitation must account for environmental impacts arising from field operations.
He called for pre-excavation assessments covering risks to soil, drainage systems, waterways and sensitive habitats before interventions are undertaken.
He also recommended measurable right-of-way restoration targets and follow-up monitoring involving affected communities.
According to Temerigha, the objective should be to reduce risks before failure, execute interventions safely and restore affected land and water.
“Risks are reduced before failure. Interventions are carried out safely, and affected land and water recover,” he said.
He urged regulators, pipeline operators, service providers, training institutions, standards organisations, research bodies and development finance institutions to collaborate on strengthening Nigeria’s pipeline integrity ecosystem.
He also called for stronger record-keeping, transparent reporting of inspection findings and greater community participation in pipeline operations and environmental recovery.
The experts said a resilient pipeline network would be central to converting Nigeria’s vast gas reserves into reliable energy supply, industrial growth and greater economic value, while reducing the safety and environmental risks associated with pipeline operations.
