After 20 Years, FG Begins Recovery of Abandoned Power Equipment as Customs Clears 98 Containers
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has started evacuating 98 containers of electricity transmission equipment that had been abandoned at Nigerian ports for between 14 and 20 years. The move follows a presidential directive aimed at recovering stranded infrastructure and accelerating rehabilitation of the country’s power transmission network.
On Friday, Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe flagged off the release of the first 44 containers at the ENL Consortium Terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos. The remaining containers will be cleared in subsequent phases. The exercise forms part of a wider Federal Government effort to recover more than 300 containers of similar equipment stranded at terminals including Apapa and Tin Can Island ports.
The equipment—high-capacity transformers, electrical cables, switchgears and other transmission materials—was imported for government-backed projects under the Federal Ministry of Power, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Niger Delta Power Holding Company and other agencies.
Adeniyi explained that clearance followed a presentation by the Minister of Power to the Federal Executive Council. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu then directed the immediate release of the equipment and ordered relevant agencies to resolve outstanding charges and administrative bottlenecks. In line with the directive, Customs has begun clearing more than 200 containers of power equipment. Special measures, including priority processing, dedicated joint examination officers and approved waivers on accumulated charges, have been put in place to speed up the process.
Adeniyi thanked Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele for approving waivers on administrative charges, and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola for securing demurrage waivers through engagement with terminal operators. The recovered equipment will undergo technical assessment to determine its condition. Serviceable items will be allocated to ongoing and stalled transmission projects, while obsolete materials will be disposed of according to regulations.
The Customs chief expressed concern that contractors had abandoned government-funded equipment, describing the practice as economic sabotage that denied Nigerians electricity, jobs and other benefits. He noted that similar cases exist in other sectors, including health. Customs will work with supervising ministries to identify responsible contractors and support efforts to hold them accountable, including possible blacklisting to prevent recurrence.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe described the release as a significant step toward resolving longstanding problems in Nigeria’s electricity transmission infrastructure. The prolonged abandonment had stalled expansion and rehabilitation of the national grid for nearly two decades, leaving some projects incomplete and placing extra pressure on existing substations. This contributed to operational inefficiencies, supply interruptions and difficulties for businesses and public institutions.
Tegbe said the equipment was originally procured to expand the transmission network, strengthen substations and improve evacuation of power from generation plants to consumers. Priority is now on physical evacuation, completion of procedures and return of empty containers to shipping lines. Technical teams from the Ministry, TCN and other stakeholders are identifying the original projects and will inspect and test the materials for suitability.
Locations expected to benefit include Kaduna, Osun, Nasarawa and Cross River, with other parts of the country receiving equipment according to project needs. Deployment is expected to increase transmission capacity, improve power evacuation, enhance network flexibility, strengthen voltage performance and reduce overloading-related interruptions.
The Minister assured that the recovered equipment will not be abandoned again. A structured project management approach will guide installation and commissioning, and coordination among agencies is being strengthened to align future procurement with implementation timelines. The government aims to evacuate the remaining consignments within one month.
Shipping companies and terminal operators pledged full cooperation, describing the power projects as critical to national infrastructure development and welcoming the intervention as a way to end a long-standing problem affecting both port operations and electricity supply.
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