Nigeria Customs Starts Clearing 98 Abandoned Power Equipment Containers

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has begun clearing 98 containers filled with electricity transmission equipment that have been left at Nigerian ports for as long as 20 years. The first group of 44 containers was released on Friday at the ENL Consortium Terminal in Apapa Port, Lagos.

This action follows a directive from President Bola Tinubu aimed at recovering the stranded equipment and speeding up the repair of the country’s electricity transmission system. The equipment was imported for government-supported projects through the Federal Ministry of Power and other related organizations.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, were present at the release event. Adeniyi mentioned that the Customs has put in place measures to speed up the process, including priority processing and waivers on certain charges.

Adeniyi criticized the abandonment of these government-funded items by contractors, calling it economic sabotage. He warned that those responsible could face penalties, including being banned from future contracts. The recovered equipment will be assessed for usability, with functional items sent to ongoing and stalled projects, while outdated materials will be disposed of properly.

Minister Tegbe noted that this abandonment has delayed transmission projects for nearly two decades, putting extra strain on existing power substations. States like Kaduna, Osun, Nasarawa, and Cross River are expected to benefit from the recovered equipment, which will enhance electricity transmission and reduce outages.

The government aims to clear the remaining containers within a month, and shipping companies along with terminal operators have committed to assisting with the evacuation process.