Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe announced that over 300 containers packed with power‑generation equipment have been sitting idle at Nigeria’s seaports, with a few remaining there for up to twenty years, and that President Bola Tinubu has instructed the authorities to clear them while experts evaluate their usability.
During a Federal Executive Council briefing on Wednesday, Tegbe called the situation “appalling” and said the administration will cooperate with the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigeria Customs Service to move the cargo and conduct technical inspections. “It’s appalling to see that we find ourselves in such situations,” he remarked.
He explained that specialists will open each container, determine which items are still functional and which have become obsolete, and then decide whether to refurbish, repurpose or dispose of the equipment.
The minister also outlined the government’s transmission agenda, stating that the council has approved projects aimed at expanding the national grid’s capacity from the current 5,000 megawatts to roughly 19,000 megawatts within the next two years.
According to Tegbe, the expansion will align transmission capability with the country’s existing generation capacity of about 13,000 megawatts, thereby improving grid resilience and optimizing existing assets.
In financial terms, the power ministry disclosed that the federal government has already paid more than one trillion naira toward the three‑trillion‑naira arrears owed to electricity generation companies, a shortfall that has previously constrained gas supplies to power plants.
Nigeria’s power sector has for decades suffered from chronic under‑investment, frequent outages and a widening gap between generation and transmission. The backlog of imported equipment is one of several logistical challenges that have hampered grid expansion.
The ministry plans to prioritize the refurbishment of functional transformers, switchgear and turbines, and to coordinate with independent power producers to integrate the newly cleared assets into the grid.
Tegbe concluded that addressing the debt burden and clearing the stranded equipment are integral steps toward stabilising Nigeria’s power supply and achieving the targeted transmission upgrades.