President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the immediate clearance of more than 300 containers of electricity equipment that have remained stranded at Nigerian ports for between 14 and 20 years, as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to address challenges in the country's power sector.
The Minister of Power, Olasunkanmi Tegbe, disclosed the presidential directive on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, while briefing journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.
According to the minister, the containers have remained at the ports because of unpaid charges and unresolved customs procedures, delaying access to equipment that could support Nigeria's electricity infrastructure.
Tegbe said the President had instructed the Ministry of Power to work with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to resolve the outstanding issues and facilitate the release of the equipment.
The minister explained that the equipment would undergo technical inspections after clearance to establish its condition and determine which materials could still be deployed.
He said items found to be serviceable would be incorporated into ongoing electricity infrastructure projects, while obsolete or unusable materials would be handled appropriately.
The government has not disclosed the total value of the equipment, the outstanding port charges or a specific deadline for completing the clearance exercise.
The directive is expected to help the government recover potentially useful infrastructure materials instead of allowing them to remain indefinitely at the ports.
The clearance order comes alongside wider government plans to improve electricity transmission capacity and strengthen the national grid.
Tegbe disclosed that the Federal Executive Council had approved the commencement of procurement for the proposed East and West Super Grids, which are expected to increase Nigeria's electricity transmission capacity from approximately 5,000 megawatts to 19,000 megawatts within two years.
The proposed projects are intended to strengthen transmission connections across different parts of the country and reduce infrastructure bottlenecks that limit the amount of electricity delivered to consumers.
The minister also announced three transmission infrastructure interventions targeting critical areas around Abuja and Lagos.
These include a transmission line project linked to the Katampe Transmission Substation, the supply of three 300MVA power transformers for the Ikeja West Transmission Substation, and the upgrade of a 35.6-kilometre transmission line along the Lagos-Sagamu corridor.
The government also disclosed that it had paid ₦1.23 trillion out of the ₦3.3 trillion owed to electricity generation companies and other power sector stakeholders.
Tegbe said the outstanding liabilities had contributed to difficulties within the electricity supply chain, including challenges affecting gas supply to power generation companies.
He added that a nationwide technical audit of electricity infrastructure was underway to identify ageing facilities requiring rehabilitation or replacement.
The audit is expected to guide future investments and help prioritise improvements across major electricity demand corridors.
The clearance of the stranded containers represents another step in the government's wider power sector intervention. However, the actual contribution of the recovered equipment to electricity supply will depend on its condition, suitability and successful deployment.