Sets up committee to oversee NSC’s transition to NPERA
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, has ordered the transfer of the Inland Dry Port (IDP) functions currently handled by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
Oyetola also directed the immediate establishment of a ministerial committee to oversee the transition of the NSC into the newly created Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA).
The directives followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA Act, 2026, and are aimed at eliminating overlapping responsibilities and establishing a clearer separation between port regulation, development and operations.
The Minister’s directives were contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser, Dr Bolaji Akinola, in Abuja on Thursday.
The NPERA Act, signed by President Tinubu in August, formally establishes a substantive economic regulator for Nigeria’s port sector, ending a two-decade wait for a dedicated statutory port economic regulator.
Under the new arrangement, the NSC, which has operated as the country’s interim port economic regulator since 2014, will transmute into NPERA.
The new agency is expected to focus on economic regulatory functions, including tariff and charge regulation, promotion of competition, licensing, service standards, commercial dispute resolution and protection of port users.
Oyetola said the transition provides an opportunity to establish a regulator that is independent of operational, developmental and promotional responsibilities.
“We must get the transition right. The establishment of NPERA is a landmark reform, and 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,” he said.
The Minister stressed that the credibility of an economic regulator depends on its ability to operate as an impartial referee without responsibilities that could create actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
According to him, operational, developmental and promotional functions should be handled by agencies with the appropriate mandates and institutional capacity, allowing NPERA to concentrate on its statutory regulatory responsibilities.
“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,” Oyetola said.
He added that the clear separation of responsibilities would boost confidence in the regulatory framework, improve transparency and provide a more predictable operating environment for port users, investors, terminal operators and shipping companies.
Oyetola, however, assured stakeholders that the transfer of IDP functions to the NPA should not be seen as a reduction in the Federal Government’s commitment to developing inland dry ports.
Rather, he said, the move was designed to strengthen the IDP programme by placing its promotion under an institution better positioned to integrate the facilities into the country’s wider port infrastructure and operational 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,” he added.
