Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe
Bolatito Mercy
The Federal Government has commenced the recovery of hundreds of containers of electricity equipment stranded at Nigerian ports for years, some dating back to 2014, in a move aimed at strengthening critical power infrastructure and improving electricity supply across the country.
The Federal Ministry of Power disclosed that the first 44 containers had been successfully released from Apapa Port, Lagos, out of more than 300 containers of electrical equipment awaiting clearance.
Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, announced the development following the recent Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, attributing the progress to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to resolve the longstanding challenges preventing the release of the equipment.
According to the Minister, the Federal Government directed the Ministry of Power to work with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority to address the administrative and financial bottlenecks, including the reconciliation of outstanding port charges.
Tegbe described the release of the initial 44 containers as a significant step towards recovering valuable public assets and accelerating electricity infrastructure development.
He explained that technical experts would examine the recovered equipment to establish its condition and determine its suitability for use. Equipment found to be serviceable would be deployed to ongoing power projects, while damaged or unusable items would be appropriately disposed of.
The latest recovery exercise follows earlier efforts by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), under the leadership of its Managing Director, Engr. Jennifer Adighije, which reportedly led to the retrieval of 110 abandoned containers and 216 packages.
The exercise was said to have generated savings of more than ₦30 billion and facilitated the recovery of turbines linked to approximately 470 megawatts of electricity generation capacity.
The Federal Government’s intervention forms part of broader efforts to recover abandoned public investments, remove longstanding obstacles to infrastructure development and strengthen the country’s electricity sector.
With further collaboration among relevant government agencies, the recovered equipment is expected to support ongoing power projects and contribute to improved electricity supply for households and businesses nationwide.
