By Samuel Akpan
Nigeria is enforcing a strict separation between port regulation and operations following a new directive from Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola.
Under the order, management of the nation’s inland dry ports will officially transfer from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
Announced in Abuja by Special Adviser Dr. Bolaji Akinola, the policy shift forms part of a broader structural overhaul.
To oversee the NSC’s transition into its new dedicated role as the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), Oyetola has directed the immediate setup of an internal ministerial committee.
The move follows President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA Act, 2026, signed in August, ending a two-decade wait for a dedicated statutory port economic regulator.
The directives seek a clear institutional framework for the new regime, cut overlapping roles and keep agencies under the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy within defined mandates.
With the new law, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, interim port economic regulator since 2014, now transmutes into NPERA.
NPERA will focus on regulating tariffs and charges, promoting competition, licensing, service standards, commercial dispute resolution and protecting port users.
Oyetola said the shift from NSC to NPERA offers a chance to build a regulator clearly separated from operational, developmental and promotional duties.
“We must get the transition right. The establishment of NPERA is a landmark reform,” he said.
“The process of moving from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency must be carefully managed.
“The ministerial committee will provide the necessary oversight to ensure that the transition is seamless and that every function is domiciled in the appropriate institution,” Oyetola also said.
He reiterated that a regulator’s credibility depends on acting as an impartial referee, free of duties that create actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
The Federal Government’s goal, he said, is for NPERA to concentrate on its statutory mandate while operational, developmental and promotional work goes to agencies with the right capacity.
“The emergence of NPERA marks a new chapter in the governance of Nigeria’s port sector.
“It is therefore important that the new economic regulator is freed from functions that are not compatible with economic regulation.
“A regulator cannot function as an operator and, at the same time, be expected to be perceived as an unbiased referee,” he said.
He said a clear split of duties would strengthen confidence in the framework, raise transparency and create a more predictable environment for port users, investors, terminal operators, shipping companies and other stakeholders.
Oyetola assured stakeholders that the transfer should not be read as weaker federal commitment to inland dry ports.
Rather, he said, the aim is to strengthen the IDP programme by placing its promotion in an institution better placed to integrate the facilities into the nation’s wider port network.
“We are committed to strengthening the development of the Inland Dry Ports by placing their promotion within the agency with the appropriate operational and infrastructure mandate.
“The ultimate objective is to create a more efficient and integrated port system that serves the entire country,” Oyetola added.