After 20-year delay, FG clears power equipment stranded in Lagos ports

The Federal Government has begun clearing power equipment that has remained trapped at Nigerian ports for up to 20 years, following the approval of waivers on accumulated charges by the Ministry of Finance.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Ministry of Power on Friday commenced the evacuation of 98 containers out of 300 stranded at Apapa and Tin-Can ports in Lagos.

The exercise is expected to make critical transmission equipment available for ongoing electricity projects, including substations and transmission corridors across the country.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said some of the equipment had remained uncleared for between 14 and 20 years.

He identified the consignments as high-capacity transformers, cables, switchgear and other transmission materials imported for the Federal Ministry of Power and government agencies, including the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Niger Delta Power Holding Company.

Adeniyi said the clearance followed President Bola Tinubu's directive at the Federal Executive Council meeting, where he ordered the immediate release of the equipment and directed relevant agencies to resolve outstanding charges and administrative bottlenecks.

He said, “In line with that presidential directive, this service has commenced the immediate clearance of more than 200 containers of power equipment.

“Today, I am here with the Honourable Minister of Power to flag off the release of the first 44 containers from ENL Terminal. Another 54 containers at other terminals in Tin-Can Port and other ports will also be released.”

The Customs boss explained that the service had introduced special measures to accelerate the process, including priority processing, dedicated officers for joint examinations and the implementation of approved waivers.

He specifically acknowledged the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, for approving the waiver of accumulated charges on the containers.

Adeniyi added that technical experts would inspect the equipment after evacuation to determine their condition and suitability for deployment.

He said the usable items would be allocated to ongoing and unfinished projects, while obsolete equipment would be disposed of based on expert recommendations.

The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, said the stranded equipment had deprived the country of critical infrastructure needed to expand electricity transmission and improve power delivery.

Tegbe noted that the prolonged delay had left existing substations under pressure because new facilities intended to share their loads could not be completed.

He said, “For up to 20 years, containers of transmission equipment have remained stranded at our ports.

“These consignments were acquired for projects intended to expand our transmission network, relieve pressure on our substations and improve our capacity to deliver electricity across the country.”

The minister said the Federal Government had intensified efforts to resolve the clearance challenges by bringing relevant institutions together and addressing outstanding requirements.

He described the release of 98 containers as a major step towards recovering equipment purchased for electricity infrastructure projects.

“I am particularly grateful to Mr President, who has approved the release of all the containers and directed the necessary collaboration to facilitate their evacuation,” he said.

Tegbe commended Adeniyi and Customs officers for supporting the exercise, saying their cooperation would help the administration deliver more reliable electricity to Nigerians.

He disclosed that engineers would verify the inventory, assess the condition of the equipment and conduct necessary tests after evacuation.

“Where repairs or other interventions are required, we will carry them out. Some of the equipment is fairly new. Some are being deployed to Kaduna, Lafia, Kwale and many other locations,” he said.

According to him, deploying the recovered equipment would provide additional capacity at affected locations and improve operational flexibility across the power sector.

Officials of shipping companies and terminal operators also attended the flag-off ceremony.