Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday Friday said the government will soon begin the construction of the 600 – kilometre Ajaokuta -Kaduna- Kano gas pipeline to move gas from the Southern part of the country to the North .

The Nigerian president made the disclosure while addressing the 5 th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit at the Sipopo International Conference Hall, Malabo , Equatorial Guinea.

Buhari noted that the viability of extending the gas pipeline to North Africa was also under consideration.

Describing the theme of the summit – Natural Gas – Energy for Sustainable Development – as most appropriate, Buhari noted that the one – day meeting was “ taking place at a critical juncture as global energy supply is transitioning from hydrocarbons to renewables . ”

Buhari posited that “ the Paris Accord of 2015 signalled the first major global commitment to a deliberate effort on this inevitable transition ” that “ Nigeria is proud to be one of the first signatories ” to the historic agreement .

He said Nigeria and other GECF members are focusing on gas development because of the energy deficit in the developing world especially, in Africa where there are nearly 600 million people without access to modern energy.

“ As responsible leaders , it is our duty to preserve the environment not only for the present but for future generations ,” Buhari said .

He said the needed balance between our energy deficit and environmental preservation needs can be achieved through the development and the use of new technologies .

Buhari noted that although the new technologies are classified as fossil fuel , he said natural gas is a viable solution to both energy and environmental challenges .

President Buhari noted further that “ natural gas has the added advantage of availability and affordability, ” stressing that , “ to fully leverage this potential , nations need to pool resources to put up trans- border and trans – regional energy infrastructure. ”