FG Approves Construction of Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the proposal of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to sign an agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the construction of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline.

The council gave the approval on Wednesday at the weekly meeting chaired by Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who spoke to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, said the project was still at the front-end and engineering designing stage, adding that the cost would be determined after the design has been completed.

He said the pipeline would traverse 15 West African countries to Morocco and Spain.

“The Ministry of Petroleum Resources presented three memos to the council,” Sylva said.

“In the first memo, the council approved for the NNPC Ltd to execute MoU with ECOWAS for the construction of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline.

“This gas pipeline is to take gas to 15 West African countries and Morocco and through Morocco to Spain and Europe,” he added.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, global leaders have been deliberating on measures to adopt as punishment for Russia’s actions.

On Monday, the EU announced its agreement to ban 90 percent of Russian oil imports by the end of the year as part of sanctions against Moscow for invading Ukraine.

Sylva had said Nigeria was ready to offer its services as an alternative gas supplier to Europe through the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline.