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The Nigeria Customs Service has announced the release and evacuation of 98 out of 300 containers of power equipment that have remained trapped at the ports for more than 20 years.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, announced this in Apapa on Friday during the flag-off of the evacuation exercise.
Adeniyi said the containers contained high-capacity transformers, cables, switchgear and other transmission equipment imported through the Federal Ministry of Power and government agencies, including the Transmission Company of Nigeria and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company.
He explained that equipment imported for important power projects had remained uncleared at the ports for between 14 and 20 years.
Adeniyi said President Bola Tinubu ordered the immediate clearance of the equipment after the Minister of Power presented the matter at the Federal Electricity Council.
He added that the President also directed relevant agencies to settle outstanding charges and remove administrative delays without further delay.
“In line with that presidential directive, this service has commenced the immediate clearance of more than 200 containers of power equipment. Today, I am here with the Honourable Minister of Power to flag off the release of the first 48 containers from ENL Terminal. Another 50 containers at other terminals in Tincan and other ports will also be released,” Adeniyi said.
The Customs chief said the service was working with the Federal Ministry of Power, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other stakeholders to complete the exercise as quickly as possible.
He said the service had introduced measures to speed up the process. These include priority processing of the consignments, dedicated officers for joint examinations and the use of approved waivers or charges for the period the goods remained at the ports.
Adeniyi explained that technical experts would inspect the equipment to determine which items could still be used.
He said serviceable equipment would be deployed to ongoing and planned projects, including transmission lines and substations across the country, while obsolete items would be disposed of in line with existing regulations.
He also acknowledged the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, for approving waivers on the charges collected on the consignments.
The Customs chief said some contractors awarded government projects had imported equipment but abandoned them at the ports without completing the projects for which public funds had been committed.
He warned that such actions deprived Nigerians of the electricity, jobs and services the projects were expected to provide.
Adeniyi said contractors who accepted government projects, received payment and failed to deliver should be regarded as engaging in economic sabotage.
He added that the service would work with the supervising ministry and relevant oversight agencies to identify other government consignments left uncleared at the ports under similar circumstances.
“We are not talking about only power sector equipment. We are talking about so many other imports that are brought into our country. We hear of donations, we hear of items that are brought in by international organisations, by global agencies,” Adeniyi stated.
He said the service would continue to support the Nigerian Government’s efforts to revive the power sector and ensure that critical equipment reached the projects where it was needed.
“We urge all ministries, departments and agencies with consignments at ports to engage with Nigeria Customs and Border Protection so that no project critical to national development is held back at our ports or at our border stations,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the affected containers were acquired for projects designed to expand the country’s transmission network, reduce pressure on overloaded substations and improve electricity delivery across Nigeria.
