By Ediri Ejoh

A landmark safety achievement on one of Nigeria’s most strategic energy infrastructure projects signals a new benchmark for large-scale pipeline delivery in the country.

AJAOKUTA-KADUNA-KANO GAS PIPELINE CORRIDOR; Recently, Oilserv Limited, the Nigerian EPCIC contractor executing Segment 1 of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline Project, has achieved a historic safety milestone: 10 million Lost Time Injury (LTI)-Free Manhours. The achievement was celebrated on site in a formal ceremony attended by representatives of the Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), ILF Consulting Engineers, NNPC Limited, contractors, subcontractors, members of the broader project workforce.

The milestone, one of the most significant safety records in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, reflects the outcome of sustained HSE discipline across approximately 304 kilometers of some of the country’s most demanding terrain, spanning hills, valleys, river crossings, and extreme weather conditions.

The event, held under the theme Safety Milestone Achievement Celebration: 10 Million LTI-Free Manhours, opened with a safety briefing and emergency procedure review, a deliberate gesture underscoring that even in celebration, safety remains non-negotiable. Distinguished guests, including leadership representatives from NGIC, ILF, and Oilserv Limited, were formally recognized before proceedings commenced.

The programme featured a keynote and opening speeches by the combined leadership of NGIC, ILF, and Oilserv, followed by a structured briefing on the milestones, challenges, and strategy that shaped the project’s safety journey by Mr. Charles Oraekie, the AKK HSE Manager. A video montage titled 10 Million Moments of Safety: The Journey So Far, provided a visual tribute to the workforce’s collective commitment. The event also featured a dedicated presentation on Work-Life Sustainability as part of Oilserv’s Goal Zero targeted safety programme, and concluded with a recognition and appreciation award ceremony for individuals and teams whose contributions were outstanding.

The technical scope completed safely under this milestone is formidable. Over the course of execution, the project team successfully delivered:
The haulage and handling of over 26,000-line pipes
4 major road crossings executed via thrust boring
2 major river crossings via Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), including a crossing of the River Niger, one of Nigeria’s most complex civil engineering challenges
15 minor river crossings
Construction of bulb valve stations
More than 25,000 welded joints

All of this were accomplished across the diverse and unforgiving terrain that characterizes the AKK corridor, while maintaining zero Lost Time Injuries.

In his Welcome Address, Engr. Gbolagade Adeniyi, Project Manager of Oilserv Limited on the AKK Gas Pipeline Project, set a human-centered tone that defined the spirit of the event. “Today is not just about numbers,” he told the assembled audience. “It is about 10 million hours where fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters returned home safe to their families.”

Engr. Gbola credited the milestone to three foundational pillars. The first was a preventive systems approach: every task on AKK commenced with a site-specific risk assessment, Permit-to-Work processes were non-negotiable, and hazards were engineered out at the source wherever feasible. The second was effective leadership at all organizational levels, with managers, supervisors, and HSE personnel maintaining visible field presence, attending not only to project progress, but to workers’ rest, fatigue, and family well-being. The third was workforce ownership: every worker was empowered with Stop Work Authority, and over the life of the project, more than 1,200 peer interventions and stop-work actions were recorded without reprisal. “Each one was treated as a success because it prevented a potential incident,” he noted.

On hazard anticipation, Gbola highlighted the dynamic nature of risk management on a linear project where site conditions change daily. Management walkthroughs, real-time dynamic risk assessments, and the prompt closure of near-miss reports with lessons shared across teams within 72 hours, were central to the project’s safety architecture.

The presence of Oilserv’s Managing Director Dr. Kenechukwu Nwangwu, at the ceremony was specifically acknowledged by project manager as a powerful signal to the workforce. He noted that the MD’s attendance as a representative of the company’s top management, led by the Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. (Dr.) Emeka Okwuosa, CON, demonstrated that safety is not merely a policy position at Oilserv, but a personal commitment at the highest level of the organization.

“The presence of the MD here shows top management commitment to safety,” Engr. Gbola stated, adding that his presence “gives every hope to push forward positively on the remaining scope of work.”

Project leadership was equally candid about the road ahead. Speakers acknowledged that achieving 10 million LTI-free manhours is not a moment to relax, it is a moment to recommit. As the project advances toward completion, the risk of complacency grows, and sustaining behavioral safety culture across the remaining scope is the next imperative. “Safety is not a destination,” Engr. Gbola affirmed. “It is a discipline we must renew daily.”
Oilserv Limited formally reaffirmed its commitment to carrying this safety culture through the remaining phases of project execution, with a stated ambition to use the lessons of AKK to set a new benchmark for large-scale infrastructure delivery in Nigeria’s gas sector, one where, in the Project Manager’s own words, “high performance and human well-being are not competing priorities, but reinforcing ones.”

The AKK Gas Pipeline Project is one of Nigeria’s most strategically significant energy infrastructure investments, designed to unlock domestic gas supply across the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano corridor and catalyze industrial and economic activity in the North of the country. Segment 1, being executed by Oilserv Limited as EPCIC contractor with NNPC Limited as client and ILF Consulting Engineers providing oversight, has emerged as a reference point for safety-conscious project execution in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.

The 10 million LTI-free manhours achievement now stands as one of the most significant safety records delivered on a pipeline infrastructure project in Nigeria’s recent history, a testament to what sustained institutional will, leadership visibility, and workforce empowerment can produce, even under the most demanding conditions.