Due to the massive infrastructural upgrade and provision of state-of-the-art logistics for international trade in the nation’s seaports in recent times, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho is labelled a metaphor for critical reforms and Primus Inter pares in regional maritime business sector development ecosystem
By Innocent Chukwu
He came, he saw, he is conquering; these words aptly capture the unrelenting work of the indefatigable Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, in restoring efficiency, good governance and pragmatic leadership within the nation’s seaports.
Since he took over the mantle of leadership at the hitherto chaotic NPA, Dantsoho has never rested on his oars in the effort to bring sanity, not just in the NPA work environment, but also in introducing reforms in the port industry which have been estimated by stakeholders to be unprecedented.
When he assumed office on July 12, 2024, there were circumstances that battled to resist the change and efficient leadership he began to introduce in order to put the NPA on the path of stardom, but as a dedicated leader, Dantsoho was able to weather the storm, and the story is now that of progressiveness at NPA.
Dantsoho who joined the NPA in 1993 as a Youth Corps member, rose through the ranks to be appointed the Managing Director by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who chose to jettison the idea of using politicians to run the affairs of the Authority. Many stakeholders are not surprised at the far-reaching reforms the administration of the incumbent Managing Director is pursuing at the NPA because he belongs to its inner caucus having worked as a staff for over three decades now.
Since 1999, the government had, wittingly or unwittingly, derailed good governance at the Authority by appointing politicians as the Managing Directors of NPA. Those were unable to pull any strings in terms of pragmatic leadership because they lacked the basic knowledge of the intricacies involved in port administration. For being an expert, Dantsoho promptly deployed his knowledge and experience to entrench a regime of change which met some inevitable resistance.
Stakeholders have praised Dantsoho, stressing that the PORT INFRASTRUCTURE upgrade embarked upon by the current Managing Director of NPA has resulted in the modernization and operationalization of the Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos, which is now fully automated. Tentacle also gathered that the NPA is ramping up investment that would lead to the building of more of the deep seaports in other parts of the country.
The NPA is making sustained efforts in pursuing partnerships that would lead to the establishment of deep seaports, as the Authority has secured licenses and permits to build another six new deep seaports that will be equipped with the latest technology, and will be developed in collaboration with the best partners in the world. In this regard, the NPA is working towards a more modernized port system that will have the capacity to accommodate critical elements that govern maritime activities in the present era.
In the areas of logistics and international collaboration, the NPA has now positioned its logistics operations to drive international and regional collaboration. It was learnt that the above resulted in 45.1 percent surge in cargo throughput in 2024, as well as 1,085 percent in quarter three (Q3) of 2025. Available records indicate that under the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, NPA is transforming its logistics through digitalization, infrastructural upgrade and strategic partnerships to position Nigeria as the premier maritime logistics hub in Africa. These efforts are evident in the Port Community System, which has been deployed in Q1 of 2026 to serve as the digital backbone for the National Single Window (NSW), which digitizes the system, and automates cargo handling to reduce vessels turnaround time and demurrage.
There is also the Electronic Truck Access System to manage land-side logistics through the implementation of the trucks electronic call-up system.
This medium gathered that a 100 percent compliance with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has been achieved. NPA achieved the PEBEC success rate in 2025, a reform aimed at reducing cargo dwell time.
Again, the deep seaport development which handled a total of 46.8 percent of the total cargo in 2025 is another milestone of Dantsoho. There is still the ongoing effort by Dantsoho to see the establishment of additional deep seaport projects, including the Badagry, Ibom and Calabar Deep Seaports.
Ports rehabilitation efforts are on top gear in Dantsoho’s reforms as NPA has secured a $1.1 billion to rehabilitate the existing ports’ infrastructure. This 10-year strategy of the Maritime and Blue Economy Ministry’s strategy aimed at transforming the maritime business sector infrastructure, it was learnt, is scheduled to kick off in the first quarter of 2026, and will be completed in 48 months.
There is the Export Processing Terminals (EPTs) in Lagos approved for the seamless processing of export goods, especially non-oil exports.
The NPA is vigorously pursuing regional and international collaboration under Dantsoho to strengthen its ongoing reforms. This is also evident in the United Arab (UAE) strategic partnership encapsulated in the “Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Nigeria and the UAE where NPA is collaborating with the Port of Dubai to establish industrial parks to strengthen logistics with focus on non-oil exports.
The NPA is aligning operations to unlock the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by enhancing connectivity for landlocked nations in the region.
The Authority is also cruising on the areas of revenue generation, staff welfare and fast track operations. A combination of these reforms has earned NPA under Dantsoho international recognition.
Thus, Dantsoho has been described as the “Primus Inter pares” of the seaports business administration in the subregion with numerous regional and international appointments and awards to his credit.
Again, these reforms have contributed in no small measure to the growth of the economy.
