President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate release of more than 300 containers of electricity equipment stuck at Nigerian ports, some of them for as long as 14 to 20 years.

Minister of Power Olasunkanmi Tegbe announced the directive on Wednesday, after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

Tegbe said the President asked the Ministry of Power to work with the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigeria Customs Service to clear the unpaid charges and customs issues holding up the containers. He called the long detention unacceptable, noting that past administrations had failed to settle the charges and finish the paperwork. Where needed, the government will reconcile the outstanding payments to get the equipment out.

Once released, the equipment will be inspected to see what is still usable. Serviceable items will go to ongoing electricity projects, while obsolete or broken materials will be handled separately.

The minister did not say what the equipment is worth, how much is owed, or when the clearance will be completed.

The order comes as the government pushes a wider overhaul of the transmission network. Tegbe said the council had approved the start of procurement for the proposed East and West Super Grids, which are meant to lift transmission capacity from about 5,000 megawatts to 19,000MW within two years. The grids will strengthen links across the country, including a corridor running from Sokoto through Abuja and beyond. Tegbe described the approval as a key step toward a more capable and resilient national grid.