By Ikennqa Omeje
The Chairman of one of the contracting companies handling the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline — Oilserv Nigeria Limited — Engr Emeka Okwuosa, has said the project will be completed and commissioned by the first half of 2021 as stipulated in agreement with the Federal Government.
Okwuosa who disclosed this during an inspection of the project said: “We want to assure you sure very clearly that this project will be delivered in line with the schedule and with top quality.
“The percentage of work that has been done, putting it in perspectives, normally in this project you do engineering design, procurement of materials, and then the construction but because of the fact that procurement will take time to happen. When pipes are ordered they will mill the pipes that have.
“So we started preconstruction work, and it is a process, but if you put it together we are close to 10 per cent of the entire project, but it will speed up as soon as we have our line pipes.”
Commenting on the security situation at the project site so far, he said: “We have come a long way and we always have a security procedure, and that procedure is always based on strategy and plan. It is stated clearly the areas we are operating in and the situation.
“We do a scan to know what the issues are and based on that we deploy the right security. We are working in the middle of the bush and we don’t have problem and we are doing what is necessary.
“The major aspect of that security is being in tandem with the community and work closely with the community and that is the first line of security.”
Speaking on how the project has impacted local content, he said: “Over here we employ locals as we move to the community and empower them as sub-contractors and is a testimony to the development of local content.
“Oilserve is a representative of local content from engineering, procurement and construction. The things we have to buy overseas of course are things we cannot manufacture here.
“We are abiding by it, the materials and vehicles inclusive so clearly local content is exemplified.”
