The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP), Mr. Beks Dagogo Jack, has promised that the 314 Container-load of Power Holding Company of Nigeria's equipment, which were abandoned at the ports for several years would be delivered promptly to the project sites across the country.

Some of the abandoned equipment is, however, at the PHCN Central Stores, Oshodi, and the Ikorodu Port Terminal, Lagos.

At the Ikorodu terminal, 17 transformers with 2000KVA capacity each, were abandoned, while cables and other accessories, were locked up in containers.

The Minister of State for Power, Mrs. Zainab Kuchi, recently ordered that the containers be opened for her inspection, while the Nigerian Customs disclosed that some of the equipment had been at the terminal for a period ranging between four years to 10 years.

The containers were loaded with new insulators, underground cables and scores of 300KVA Transformers.

However, a statement by the Presidential Task Force on Power showed that at a recent meeting with the Commander of the Nigeria Army Engineering Corps, Maj. Gen. A. A. Olaniyi, to assess the progress of delivery of the equipment and materials, Dagogo-Jack stated that the equipment would be delivered promptly to the project sites.

"So far the movement of the equipment to their various installation sites has progressed very well. Of course no one expects that the movement of such heavy duty items sometimes to very long distances will be an easy task. But so far the exercise has gone well. And I would like to give the assurance that the delivery process would continue to improve until the exercise is concluded," said Dagogo-Jack.

The PTFP helmsman said the delivery of the materials and equipment underscored government's commitment to ensuring the utilisation of the power equipment and their accessories which had been lying unclaimed at the ports.

"The idea is not to free these items from one protracted storage and then relocate them to another point of storage, prolonging their inexplicable lack of utilisation. That explains why they are being transferred from this storage to their sites of deployment for installation and connection to the grid," he added.

Some of the abandoned equipment and materials also include assorted power and distribution transformers, diesel generators, transformer oil, conductors, cables and circuit breakers.

Others include isolators, control panels, instrument transformers, insulators, tower members and accessories, wooden electric poles, and surge arresters.

During a recent inspection of the equipment, the Minister of State for Power, who could not hide her shock at the discovery of large amount of electrical equipment, said the distribution of the equipment would improve the power situation in the country.