Tinubu Orders Clearance of 300 Containers of Stranded Electricity Equipment

President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate clearance of more than 300 containers of electricity equipment stranded at Nigerian ports, in a move aimed at recovering potentially usable materials for the country’s power infrastructure.

The Minister of Power, Olasunkanmi Tegbe, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking with journalists at the State House in Abuja, explaining that some of the equipment had remained at the ports for between 14 and 20 years because of unpaid charges and unresolved clearance procedures.

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Tegbe described the prolonged detention of the equipment as unacceptable, noting that the Federal Government was taking steps to resolve the outstanding issues and recover materials that could support electricity infrastructure projects.

Tinubu Directs Power Ministry to Resolve Clearance Issues

According to the minister, Tinubu directed the Ministry of Power to work with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to facilitate the release of the containers.

The President also instructed the relevant agencies to reconcile outstanding charges where necessary and address the administrative bottlenecks that had prevented the equipment from being cleared.

Tegbe attributed the prolonged delays to unresolved financial obligations and incomplete clearance procedures, which had left the equipment stranded through previous administrations.

The directive is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to recover potentially valuable power infrastructure materials and address longstanding constraints affecting Nigeria’s electricity transmission network.

Experts to Inspect Equipment After Clearance

Tegbe said technical experts would inspect the equipment after it had been released from the ports to determine its condition and whether it could be deployed for electricity projects.

He explained that serviceable materials would be considered for use in ongoing power infrastructure projects, while obsolete or unusable equipment would be handled appropriately.

The inspection is expected to help the government establish which materials can still contribute to the development and improvement of the country’s electricity network.

However, the minister did not disclose the total value of the equipment, the amount required to settle outstanding port charges or the deadline for completing the clearance exercise.

Questions Remain Over Cost and Deployment

Although the directive seeks to recover equipment that has remained unused for years, its practical impact will depend on the condition of the materials, the cost of clearing them and their suitability for current power infrastructure needs.

The government is yet to provide details on how much of the equipment can be recovered for use or which specific electricity projects will benefit from the exercise.

The clearance and subsequent technical assessment will determine how much of the stranded equipment can be put to productive use in Nigeria’s power sector.