Federal Government has secured the release of 98 containers of electricity transmission equipment held at Nigerian ports for more than a decade, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for their immediate clearance.
Minister of Power, Mr Joseph Tegbe, announced the development in Lagos, according to a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by his spokesman, Adeola Adelabu.
Tegbe disclosed that 44 containers were released from ENL Terminal, while another 54 were cleared from APMT and Sun & Moon Terminals, bringing the total number of containers released to 98 out of more than 300 stranded at the ports.
He said the equipment, which includes high-capacity transformers, cables and switchgear, was procured to expand the national transmission network and ease pressure on overloaded substations.
The minister explained that the prolonged detention of the equipment had stalled critical transmission projects, increased pressure on existing substations and exposed valuable national assets to deterioration.
He added that the delay also resulted in the accumulation of demurrage and other charges.
According to him, Nigerians had continued to bear the consequences of the delay, with businesses spending more on alternative power sources, households experiencing frequent electricity interruptions and public institutions struggling to sustain essential services.
Tegbe attributed the release to President Tinubu’s directive for the immediate clearance of the containers.
He said he subsequently worked with the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Bashir Adeniyi, to facilitate the release of the equipment.
The Federal Government did not disclose the reasons the containers were initially detained by the Customs Service.
