President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate release of more than 300 containers of electricity equipment that have remained stranded at Nigerian ports for periods ranging from 14 to 20 years.

The Minister of Power, Olasunkanmi Tegbe, disclosed this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja, saying the President had directed relevant agencies to resolve the issues preventing the equipment from being cleared.

According to Tegbe, the Ministry of Power will work with the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigeria Customs Service to settle outstanding charges and complete the necessary clearance procedures.

He described the situation as unacceptable, considering Nigeria’s electricity transmission challenges and the potential value of the abandoned materials to the country’s power infrastructure.

However, the government will not deploy the equipment immediately after its release. Tegbe explained that technical experts would first examine the materials to establish their condition and determine whether they could still be used.

Equipment found to be in good working condition will be sent to appropriate electricity projects, while materials considered obsolete or beyond use will be dealt with accordingly.

The minister did not reveal the total value of the containers, the outstanding charges involved or when the clearance exercise would be completed.

The directive comes as the Federal Government pursues other measures to improve electricity transmission and reduce pressure on the national grid.

Tegbe also announced that the Federal Executive Council had approved the commencement of procurement for the proposed East and West Super Grids. The projects are expected to raise Nigeria’s electricity transmission capacity from about 5,000 megawatts to 19,000 megawatts within two years.

In addition, the council approved three transmission projects designed to address infrastructure bottlenecks in Abuja, Lagos and the Lagos–Shagamu industrial corridor.

The projects include a transmission line connected to the Katampe Transmission Substation, the provision of three 300MVA power transformers for the Ikeja West Transmission Substation, and the upgrade of the 35.6-kilometre Itumola–Mapasin–Shagamu transmission line.

The government said the projects would help improve grid reliability, expand transmission capacity and ensure more effective use of electricity infrastructure across the country.