Customs Begins Evacuation of 98 Stranded Power Equipment Containers After Tinubu’s Directive
By CentralNewsNG News Desk | November 7, 2026
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced the evacuation of 98 containers of electricity transmission equipment that had remained stranded at Nigerian ports for between 14 and 20 years, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive to remove administrative and financial bottlenecks delaying critical power projects.
The exercise began in Lagos on Friday, November 6, with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, and the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, overseeing the release process at the Apapa port area.
The containers form part of a larger backlog of more than 300 consignments of electricity equipment reportedly left uncleared at Nigerian ports for several years.
The equipment includes high-capacity transformers, electrical cables, switchgear and other materials originally imported for government-backed electricity projects involving the Federal Ministry of Power, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).
The Federal Government says the recovery of the equipment could help complete stalled installations, reduce pressure on overloaded substations and strengthen parts of the country’s electricity transmission network.
How the 98 containers are being evacuated
Customs said the 98 containers are located across different port terminals in Lagos.
According to reports from the exercise, the first 44 containers were released from the ENL Consortium Terminal, while another 54 containers at APM Terminals and Sun & Moon terminals were included in the evacuation arrangement.
Adeniyi said the exercise followed a presidential directive requiring relevant government agencies to resolve outstanding charges and administrative obstacles preventing the equipment from leaving the ports.
The Customs Service said it had introduced priority processing, dedicated officers for joint examinations and approved waivers to accelerate the clearance process.
The service is working with the Federal Ministry of Power, TCN, NDPHC, the Nigerian Ports Authority and terminal operators to complete the exercise.
The government has not yet announced a final completion date for the evacuation of all the containers in the wider backlog.
Why the equipment remained at the ports for years
The prolonged detention of the equipment has raised questions about project coordination, government procurement and the management of public infrastructure investments.
According to Customs, some consignments remained uncleared for between 14 and 20 years because of outstanding charges and unresolved administrative processes.
Adeniyi also criticised contractors who imported equipment for government projects but allegedly abandoned the consignments at the ports without completing the projects for which public resources had been committed.
He warned that contractors who receive government payments but fail to deliver their assigned projects deny Nigerians the electricity, jobs and other public benefits those projects are intended to provide.
The development highlights a problem that extends beyond the ports. Equipment purchased for public infrastructure can become a wasted investment when agencies, contractors and government departments fail to coordinate procurement, payment, clearance and project execution.
However, the government has yet to publish a comprehensive account identifying all the contractors and agencies responsible for the individual consignments or explaining the full circumstances behind each prolonged delay.
What the equipment could mean for Nigeria’s electricity supply
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe said the equipment was procured to expand the country’s transmission network, relieve pressure on overloaded substations and improve the movement of electricity across the national grid.
He explained that the prolonged delay had prevented the equipment from being installed at locations where it was expected to support electricity infrastructure projects.
Existing substations have continued to carry loads that additional facilities were expected to share, limiting operational flexibility and putting further pressure on the network.
The minister said some of the recovered equipment could support projects in locations including Kaduna, Lafia and Kwale, among other areas.
If successfully installed and commissioned, the equipment could improve transmission capacity in affected locations and help address some of the infrastructure constraints affecting electricity delivery.
However, the immediate impact on electricity supply will depend on the condition of the equipment, the availability of completed project sites and the ability of relevant agencies to carry out installation and commissioning.
The release of the containers should therefore not be interpreted as an immediate increase in electricity generation or supply to households.
Equipment must undergo inspection and testing
One of the major issues facing the recovery exercise is the condition of equipment that has remained in storage for more than a decade.
Customs and the Ministry of Power said technical experts would inspect the consignments, verify the inventory and determine which materials remain suitable for use.
The minister said some equipment would require repairs or refurbishment before deployment, while items considered obsolete would be handled in accordance with relevant regulations.
This assessment is particularly important because transformers, switchgear and other electrical components require appropriate storage and technical testing before they can safely be integrated into the transmission network.
The government will need to establish which items are serviceable, the cost of restoring damaged equipment and the additional resources required to complete the projects for which the materials were purchased.
Without that information, the actual value of the recovered equipment and its likely contribution to electricity infrastructure will remain uncertain.
Government waives accumulated charges to facilitate release
The clearance process also involved the resolution of accumulated port charges.
Adeniyi acknowledged the role of the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, in approving waivers on charges associated with the consignments.
The waivers were intended to remove a major financial obstacle preventing the equipment from being cleared.
Although the decision may help prevent further delays, it also raises questions about the total amount of charges accumulated over the years and the financial implications of waiving them.
A transparent breakdown of the charges, the agencies responsible for settling outstanding obligations and the reasons the consignments remained uncleared would help Nigerians understand the full cost of the delay.
The government has not yet published a comprehensive figure for the accumulated charges or the total value of the equipment involved.
More than 200 containers still part of the wider recovery effort
The 98 containers represent only part of the more than 300 consignments of power equipment reportedly stranded at Nigerian ports.
Customs has pledged to continue working with the Ministry of Power and other relevant agencies until the remaining equipment is cleared.
The recovery process will require more than removing the containers from the ports. The government must also establish where each consignment is intended to go, whether the relevant projects are still active and how quickly the equipment can be installed.
For the exercise to produce measurable benefits, the authorities will need to publish updates showing the number of containers evacuated, the condition of the materials, their destination and the progress of the projects they were purchased to support.
Accountability will determine the value of the recovery
The evacuation of the stranded equipment is an important administrative development, but its success should ultimately be measured by what happens after the containers leave the ports.
Nigerians need to know how much of the equipment remains usable, how much public money was tied up in the abandoned consignments and why critical infrastructure materials were allowed to remain uncleared for so many years.
The Federal Government also faces the task of ensuring that the remaining equipment does not suffer the same fate.
If the recovered materials are properly tested, installed and commissioned, they could contribute to strengthening Nigeria’s electricity transmission infrastructure.
But without transparent reporting, clear project deadlines and accountability for the prolonged delays, the release of the containers may remain an administrative achievement rather than a measurable improvement in electricity delivery.
Source attribution: This report draws on statements by the Nigeria Customs Service and the Federal Ministry of Power, alongside reporting by TheCable, The Guardian, THISDAY and Punch Newspapers.
