Transformers, cables and switchgear that spent up to two decades stuck at Nigeria’s ports are finally on the move, after Customs released 98 containers of transmission equipment to the Federal Ministry of Power.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, announced the release at a media address in Lagos on Friday.
He said 44 containers were freed from the ENL Terminal and 54 from the APMT and Sun & Moon Terminals. This is 98 out of more than 300 containers held.
Tegbe explained that the equipment was bought to expand the transmission network and ease the load on overstretched substations.
Its detention, he said, stalled projects, kept existing substations under heavy strain, left valuable assets exposed to deterioration and piled up charges on the cargoes.
He noted that businesses spending more on alternative power, families enduring interruptions and public institutions struggling to keep essential services running all bear the cost daily.
The release follows a directive from President Bola Tinubu that the cargoes be cleared immediately.
Tegbe said he and the Comptroller-General of Customs acted swiftly to secure it.
He credited the President for the breakthrough and thanked the Ministers of Finance and of Marine and Blue Economy, the Comptroller-General of Customs, and officials of the Ministry of Power and its agencies.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, said the release follows the President’s order for immediate clearance and for agencies to settle outstanding charges and administrative bottlenecks without delay.
He said Customs has begun clearing the containers in collaboration with the Ministry of Power, the Nigerian Ports Authority and terminal operators.
Adeniyi pledged to work closely with the Minister until every container is cleared and appealed to terminal operators to give Nigeria the support needed for an important national effort.
An inspection found that most of the equipment is useful and viable. Once evacuated, it will be verified, tested and refurbished where necessary, then sent to project sites to complete stalled installations, relieve overloaded substations and strengthen constrained transmission corridors.
As these projects come into service, they are expected to bring fewer interruptions from overloading, better voltage performance and a stronger network to carry electricity to homes, businesses and essential services.
Tegbe assured Nigerians that the Ministry would follow the recovery through to installation and commissioning and would provide updates on the remaining containers. He expressed confidence that they would be released without further delay.
He said that by recovering equipment that has lain idle for years, the government is turning policy into power and promise into progress that people can feel in their homes, shops and workplaces, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.
