11 years after, FG takes delivery of 248 abandoned power equipment containers

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

Eleven years after power equipment where abandoned  at various bounded terminal ports, Minister of Power Professor  Chinedu Nebo, takes delivery of the equipments  from Nigerian Customs services .since 2003.

Speaking in Lagos while taking the delivery of the equipment, Nebo said the Federal Government  will start investigation into the circumstances that led to  the abandonment of the 248 containers of power equipment at the Apapa and Onne ports since 2003.

Nebo,said the investigation was necessary in order to know the root cause of the abandonment of the equipment and forestall recurrence of the development in future.

He regretted  that the Federal government expended several billions of naira to import the equipment only to be abandoned for so long at the ports while Nigerians linger in darkness due to epileptic power supply to them.

He said the abandonment of the equipment stalled the delivery of   10 major power projects in the country,including;Kano-Hadeija Combusto sub station,Obu Morewa substation,Omotosho-Egbin  sub station,Ascon 330 KVA  line and Ikorodu-Odogunyan substation.

According to him,  the release of the 248 container loads of power equipment is  another plus  in the administration of Goodluck Jonathan to improve power supply in the country.

He said  that the stalled projects would now be revamped through onward transmission of the released equipment to the site of the project.

He lauded  the Nigeria Custom Service(NCS) for the gesture,adding that  his Ministry sees the  officials  of customs as a  good partner in improving power supply as well as fixing the hitches in the nation’spower sector.

He  said that the Nigerian Customs was graciously  agreed to release the abandoned containers to the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, which  was represented by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Nebo said that virtually all the equipments which had been ordered by PHCN was fully paid for, and brought into Nigeria and got abandoned in Nigeria. The minister however, plea with the customs service to kindly release other abandoned projects like this to the ministry of power, because

of accumulated demurrages and charges that cannot be paid should be realise for the betterment of Nigerians.

“The abandoned power equipments which engulfed billion of naira in procuring the equipments should be used and protected judiciously.

In his remarks, Mr Mack Kast, the Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) It is special day to Nigerians and members of TCN.