The Federal Government has secured the clearance of 44 containers of electricity equipment stranded at Apapa ports, some since 2014.
The clearance followed a directive by President Bola Tinubu to resolve issues preventing the release of more than 300 containers of electrical equipment at the nation’s ports.
A statement issued on Thursday by Adeola Adelabu, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, quoted the Minister as saying that the development was part of efforts to strengthen the national grid and improve power supply across the country.
He spoke after the last Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja.
Tegbe said the President directed the Ministry of Power to work with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority to address the bottlenecks, including reconciling outstanding charges, to facilitate the release of the equipment.
He described the clearance of the first 44 containers as evidence that the collaboration was already yielding results.
According to him, technical experts will inspect the recovered equipment to determine which ones are serviceable for deployment in ongoing power projects, while the remaining items will be disposed of appropriately.
The Minister said the move was part of broader efforts to strengthen the national grid and ensure that electricity generated reaches more homes and businesses.
He added that the government was working to recover electrical equipment it had already paid for while building the infrastructure needed to improve electricity supply.
The development comes against the backdrop of previous efforts by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to recover abandoned power equipment.
Recall that NDPHC, under the leadership of its Managing Director, Engr. Jennifer Adighije, recovered 110 abandoned containers and 216 packages, saving more than N30bn.
The recovery also helped unlock about 470 megawatts of electricity for the national grid through recovered turbines.
