By Stella Odueme
The Nigeria Customs Service has released 98 containers of electricity transmission equipment stranded at the nation's ports for periods of up to 20 years to the Federal Ministry of Power.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this during a media briefing in Lagos, saying the containers comprised 44 released from ENL Terminal and another 54 from APMT and Sun & Moon Terminals.
According to a statement on Friday, he said the 98 containers were part of more than 300 containers held at the ports, adding that the equipment included high-capacity transformers, cables and switchgear procured to expand the national transmission network and address overloaded substations.
According to him, the prolonged detention of the equipment had delayed critical power projects, increased pressure on existing substations and exposed the valuable assets to possible deterioration, while additional charges continued to accumulate.
Tegbe said the release followed President Bola Tinubu's directive for the immediate clearance of the containers, which prompted the Ministry of Power and the Comptroller-General of Customs to work towards resolving the bottlenecks.
He expressed appreciation to the President and acknowledged the support of the Ministers of Finance and Marine and Blue Economy, the Comptroller-General of Customs and officials of the Ministry of Power and its agencies.
Also speaking, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, said the service had commenced processes to facilitate the clearance of the remaining containers in collaboration with the Ministry of Power, Nigerian Ports Authority and terminal operators.
Adeniyi assured that Customs would continue working with the ministry until all the stranded equipment was released, while appealing to terminal operators to support the national effort to strengthen electricity supply.
The minister disclosed that an inspection of the recovered equipment showed that most of the items remained useful and viable.
He explained that the equipment would undergo verification, testing and necessary refurbishment before being transported to designated project sites for installation.
According to him, the deployment would help complete abandoned installations, reduce pressure on overloaded substations and strengthen constrained transmission corridors.
Tegbe said the projects were expected to improve voltage stability, reduce interruptions caused by network overload and enhance the capacity of the national grid to deliver electricity to homes, businesses and public institutions.
He assured Nigerians that the ministry would monitor the process through evacuation, installation and commissioning, while providing updates on efforts to secure the release of the remaining containers.
The minister expressed confidence that the outstanding containers would also be released without further delay, describing the development as part of the Federal Government's commitment to improving electricity infrastructure under President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda.