NPERA Sets 30, 60, 90-Day Targets To Drive Nigeria's Port Sector Reform

By Lod Onyeji 

The Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency [NPERA] has unveiled a structured 30, 60, and 90-day transition roadmap to guide its evolution from the Nigerian Shippers' Council [NSC] and accelerate reforms aimed at improving port efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing Nigeria's competitiveness.

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NPERA, Dr. Akutah Pius Ukeyima, disclosed this in Lagos when a delegation of the Congress of Nigerian Maritime Media Practitioners [CONMMEP] visited the agency to seek clarification on its new mandate, transition process, and strategic priorities.

Dr. Ukeyima explained that the Nigerian Port Economy Regulatory Agency Act 2026, which repealed the Nigerian Shippers' Council Act, Cap N133 of 2004, did not merely change an institutional nameplate.

"This is not a change of name or identity, but a fundamental restructuring of port economic regulation in Nigeria," he said.

While the former Shippers' Council was established principally to protect shippers' interests — including freight rate negotiations and development of shippers' associations — NPERA has a broader statutory mandate to regulate the entire port economy.

He traced the reform history: after the 2006 port concession, government agencies operated simultaneously as service providers and regulators, creating conflicts of interest. This led to the appointment of the Shippers' Council as an interim economic regulator in 2014, pending a definitive law. The passage of the NPERA Act now provides that legal foundation.

The agency, he said, has developed a transition timetable covering 30, 60, 90 days, 100 days, one year, and beyond, with major policy directions guided by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.

A key immediate directive from the Minister, Ukeyima disclosed, is for NPERA to hand over all Inland Dry Ports it promoted as NSC to the Nigerian Ports Authority [NPA].[IDPs]

Discussions with the NPA Managing Director are already underway to implement the directive.

He added that Section 51 of the new Act preserves existing contracts and unresolved matters, and protects the offices and employment of existing appointees and workers.

One of NPERA's immediate priorities, he said, is to complete the transition from NSC to NPERA within the first six months, alongside developing and issuing regulations to operationalize the new framework.

Ukeyima identified port efficiency as a core priority, noting that operational inefficiencies — particularly the presence of multiple government agencies with excessive human interface — contradict global trends toward digitalization and automation.

"Such inefficiencies increase the cost of doing business and weaken the competitiveness of Nigerian ports relative to neighbouring countries," he said.

He also flagged high port infrastructure and service costs as major constraints to Nigeria's trade competitiveness, while emphasizing that effective dispute settlement is critical to overall efficiency.

"Nigerians will ultimately judge the impact of the new law by the extent to which they experience tangible improvements in port efficiency, cost reduction and competitiveness," 2he noted.

The DG revealed that the new law introduces a stronger deterrence regime.

Under the repealed law, penalties as low as *N300 and N500* were grossly inadequate. Under NPERA, penalties for certain infractions will now range from *N500,000 to N20 million*.

"The objective is not primarily punishment but deterrence against activities capable of undermining trade facilitation," he stressed.

Ukeyima also cited ongoing port modernisation efforts, noting that the Federal Government is actively pursuing Foreign Direct Investment and other funding options to accelerate development. Some projects, he said, have reached advanced stages and are before the Federal Executive Council, with funds already approved.

He said the developments underscore the government's commitment to law reform, institutional strengthening, and deploying the maritime sector as a catalyst for economic diversification — benefits that will extend beyond operators to Nigerian consumers.

Earlier, CONMMEP President *Udo Onyeka* said the visit was to strengthen ties with NPERA and gain deeper understanding of its mandate and vision.

Onyeka noted that port efficiency, cost of moving goods, ease of doing business, competitiveness, and non-oil export growth are directly linked to regulatory effectiveness.

He said maritime journalists have a duty to keep the public informed while giving regulators a platform to explain policies, achievements and challenges.

He listed critical reporting areas requiring sustained attention: shipping costs, port congestion, tariffs and charges, demurrage, Shippers' protection, digitalization, National Single Window, non-oil export development, regional connectivity, maritime security and blue economy.

CONMMEP, he said, is seeking regular briefings, access to credible data, technical policy explanations, and increased interaction to improve reporting quality and curb misinformation.

He stressed, however, that the relationship must be founded on access, transparency, professionalism and mutual respect, not as a public relations extension of the agency.