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 a directive by President Bola Tinubu to remove obstacles delaying critical power infrastructure projects.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, announced the development on Friday, November 6, 2026, during the flag-off of the evacuation exercise in Apapa, Lagos, alongside the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.
The 98 containers represent an initial batch from more than 300 containers of government-imported power equipment abandoned at Nigerian ports, including Apapa and Tin Can Island.
According to reports by TheCable and BusinessDay on November 6, the consignments contain high-capacity transformers, electrical cables, switchgear and other transmission materials imported for the Federal Ministry of Power and government agencies, including the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).
Adeniyi said the clearance followed a presentation by Tegbe to the Federal Executive Council, after which Tinubu directed relevant government agencies to resolve outstanding charges and administrative bottlenecks preventing the evacuation of the equipment.
The Customs chief said the service had introduced priority processing, dedicated officers for joint examinations and other trade facilitation measures to accelerate the exercise.
He also acknowledged the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, for approving waivers on accumulated charges associated with the stranded consignments.
Adeniyi criticised contractors who imported equipment for government projects but abandoned the consignments at the ports without completing the projects for which they were engaged.
He described the practice as economic sabotage, arguing that it had deprived Nigerians of electricity infrastructure, employment opportunities and other benefits expected from public investments.
The Customs Service said it would work with relevant government agencies to identify contractors responsible for abandoned government consignments and ensure accountability.
Meanwhile, Tegbe said the prolonged detention of the equipment had delayed critical transmission projects, leaving existing substations under pressure because infrastructure intended to support them had not been delivered.
He explained that the recovered materials would help expand the transmission network, improve substation capacity and strengthen the evacuation of electricity from generation plants to consumers.
The minister said technical experts would inspect the equipment, verify inventories and conduct necessary tests to establish which items remained suitable for use.
Speaking on deployment plans, Tegbe identified Kaduna, Lafia and Kwale among the locations expected to benefit from the recovered equipment. Items requiring repairs would undergo the necessary interventions before installation, while obsolete materials would not be deployed.
The clearance is expected to help recover public investments and accelerate electricity transmission projects that have suffered years of delays. However, the extent to which the exercise will improve electricity supply will depend on the condition of the equipment, its successful installation and the completion of the projects for which it was originally procured.
