Customs releases 98 power equipment containers stranded for 20 years

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released 98 containers of electricity transmission equipment that had been stranded at the nation’s ports for periods of up to 20 years, in a move expected to strengthen the national grid and improve electricity supply.

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this in Lagos, saying 44 containers were released from ENL Terminal, while another 54 were cleared from APMT and Sun & Moon Terminals.

He said the 98 containers represented part of more than 300 containers of transmission equipment held at the ports.

The equipment, comprising high-capacity transformers, cables and switchgear, was procured to expand the transmission network, address overloaded substations and improve electricity delivery across the country.

Tegbe said the prolonged detention of the equipment had stalled critical projects, left existing substations under pressure, exposed valuable assets to deterioration and resulted in accumulated charges.

“The equipment was procured to expand the transmission network and relieve overloaded substations. Its detention stalled projects, kept existing substations under heavy strain, exposed valuable assets to deterioration and accumulated charges on the cargoes,” he said.

He noted that the delay had imposed additional costs on businesses, households and public institutions already grappling with unreliable electricity supply.

The minister attributed the release to President Bola Tinubu’s directive for the immediate clearance of the stranded cargoes, commending the President and other government officials for facilitating the process.

Also speaking, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, said the Service had commenced the clearance process in collaboration with the Ministry of Power, the Nigerian Ports Authority and terminal operators.

He said the release followed the President’s directive to resolve outstanding charges and administrative bottlenecks without delay.

Adeniyi pledged the Customs Service’s continued cooperation with the Ministry of Power until all the containers were cleared, while appealing to terminal operators to support the national effort.

Tegbe disclosed that an inspection of the recovered equipment showed that most of the items remained useful and viable.

He said the equipment would be evacuated, verified, tested and refurbished where necessary before being deployed to project sites to complete stalled installations, relieve overloaded substations and strengthen constrained transmission corridors.

According to him, completing and commissioning the affected projects would improve voltage performance, reduce interruptions caused by overloading and strengthen the network’s capacity to deliver electricity to homes, businesses and essential services.

The minister assured Nigerians that his ministry would monitor the evacuation, installation and commissioning processes, adding that updates would be provided on efforts to secure the release of the remaining containers.

The development comes amid persistent challenges in Nigeria’s electricity transmission network, including inadequate infrastructure and congestion, which continue to constrain the delivery of generated electricity to distribution companies and consumers.