By Sam Otuonye

The federal government has declared that more than 300 containers of electricity equipment were stranded at Nigerian ports as President Bola Tinubu has directed for their immediate clearance.

Some of the equipment have reportedly been held for 14 to 20 years due to unpaid charges and unresolved customs procedures.

However, the total value of the stranded equipment, the amount needed to settle outstanding charges, or a deadline for completing the clearance exercise were not disclosed.

The Minister of Power, Olasunkanmi Tegbe, had assured recently that the government would soon recover the equipment.

He explained that the directive forms part of the Federal Government’s efforts to recover potentially usable power infrastructure and address longstanding constraints in Nigeria’s electricity transmission network.

Tegbe described the prolonged detention of the equipment as unacceptable, saying the containers had remained at the ports for years because previous administrations failed to settle outstanding charges and complete the necessary clearance processes.

According to the minister, the President directed the Ministry of Power to work with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to resolve the outstanding issues and facilitate the release of the equipment.

Tinubu also instructed the relevant agencies to reconcile outstanding charges where necessary to end the prolonged delays.

The minister explained that technical experts would inspect the equipment after clearance to determine its condition and suitability for deployment across the country’s electricity network.

He said serviceable materials would be incorporated into ongoing power infrastructure projects, while obsolete or unusable equipment would be handled appropriately.