By Sodipo Olawumi
President Bola Tinubu last week ordered the immediate clearance of over 300 containers of electricity equipment stranded at Nigerian ports some for 14 to 20 years and the Minister of Power, Olasunkanmi Joseph Tegbe disclosed it after the FEC meeting at the State House.
Not empty containers. They are critical grid infrastructure, high-capacity transformers, cables, switchgear and other transmission equipment meant to strengthen the national grid.
Minister Tegbe said, “Those containers are not empty containers. It is appalling to see that we find ourselves in such situations.”
They were imported by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Power/Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) under various power projects over the years including NIPP (National Integrated Power Project), TCN donor-funded projects, and Presidential Power Initiative equipment.
The Minister confirmed these high-capacity transformers must be manufactured abroad because Nigeria lacks the specialised industrial capacity to produce equipment of that specification. So they were imported from manufacturers in China, Germany and other countries.
They were meant for transmission expansion and grid stabilisation nationwide, the new East and West Super Grids to raise transmission from 5,000MW to 19,000MW and ppgrades along Lagos-Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridors. Because of this, substations like Katampe, Ikeja West, and many others that were completed but never energised. The 20 years delay was due to pure administrative failure and wickedness.
According to the Minister, the delays were attributed to previous administrations failing to settle outstanding port charges and complete routine customs procedures including unpaid charges at NPA, icomplete customs clearance at Nigeria Customs Service, no coordination between Ministry of Power, NPA and Customs. Equipment just abandoned at Apapa, Onne and other ports while Nigeria was in darkness
Some containers have been there since 2006-2012 era Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and Buhari administrations. We paid for equipment, borrowed money for it, then left it to rot at port and kept paying demurrage.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR ordered Ministry of Power to work with NPA and Nigeria Customs Service to clear all charges. Technical experts will open and audit each container to check what is still usable and what is obsolete after 20 years. Usable equipment will be deployed to ongoing projects, obsolete ones disposed of.
Honestly, this explains why we have 13,000MW generation capacity but can only transmit 5,000MW. The equipment to carry the power has been locked at the port for 20 years while we hold national prayers for light.
Unlocking these containers is a welcome and long-overdue step, but true progress will only be measured by how quickly this vital equipment is deployed to light up homes, power industries, and permanently break the cycle of darkness.
Olawumi is a public commentator.
