The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has begun releasing 98 of more than 300 containers of electricity transmission equipment that were abandoned at Nigerian ports for between 14 and 20 years. The release, which commenced on Friday, follows a presidential directive aimed at accelerating the rehabilitation of the country’s power infrastructure.
Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi announced the development during a joint press briefing with Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe. The event marked the flag-off for the evacuation of the first batch of 44 containers from the ENL Consortium Terminal. Adeniyi stated that the remaining 54 containers located at other terminals, including those in Tin Can Island, would be released subsequently.
“The clearance followed a presentation by the Minister of Power to the Federal Executive Council, after which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed the immediate release of the equipment and instructed relevant government agencies to resolve all outstanding charges and administrative bottlenecks,” Adeniyi said.
The consignments contain high-capacity transformers, electrical cables, switchgears, and other transmission equipment originally imported for government-backed projects through the Federal Ministry of Power, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company. To facilitate the evacuation, Customs introduced special measures, including priority processing and the application of waivers on accumulated administrative and demurrage charges. These waivers were approved by Minister of Finance Wale Edun and facilitated by Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola.
Following the evacuation, technical experts will assess the condition of the equipment. Serviceable items will be allocated to ongoing and stalled transmission projects, including transmission corridors and substations, while obsolete materials will be disposed of according to existing regulations. Minister Tegbe described the release as a major step toward revitalizing Nigeria’s electricity transmission infrastructure, noting that the prolonged abandonment had hindered the expansion of the national transmission network for nearly two decades.
During the briefing, Adeniyi labeled contractors who import equipment with public funds but abandon the consignments without executing the projects as “economic saboteurs.” He warned that the Customs Service would no longer tolerate such practices and would work with supervising ministries to identify and hold responsible contractors accountable. Adeniyi noted that similar issues have been identified in other sectors, including health interventions, where equipment imported under government programs or international donations has been left uncleared.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
