Sequel to signing into law the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) by President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola directs the transfer of Inland Dry Ports to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and sets up NPERA Transition Committee, even as NIMASA lauds Oyetola’s achievements in the ministry within a short period of time
By Innocent Chukwu
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has directed that the Inland Dry Port (IDP) functions of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) be transferred to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). The move is designed to separate port regulation from development and operations.
In a statement by his Special Adviser, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, Oyetola also announced the immediate constitution of a Ministerial Committee to oversee the transition of the NSC into the newly established Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA). This followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA Act, 2026.
The Act formally establishes a statutory economic regulator for Nigeria’s port sector, ending a two-decade wait. Under the new framework, NPERA will focus on tariff regulation, competition, licensing, service standards, dispute resolution, and protection of port users.
Oyetola emphasized that the credibility of an economic regulator depended on its impartiality, free from operational or promotional responsibilities. He assured stakeholders that the transfer of IDPs to NPA is not a downgrade but a step to strengthen their integration into Nigeria’s wider port infrastructure.
“The emergence of NPERA marks a new chapter in port governance. A regulator cannot function as an operator and still be seen as an unbiased referee,” Oyetola said.
The Minister added that the reforms will enhance transparency, strengthen investor confidence, and create a more predictable operating environment for port users and stakeholders nationwide.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola has charged staff of the Agency to build on the gains of NIMASA in the last few years in order to drive further progress.
Dr. Mobereola who said this at a two-day Senior Management Strategy Session on the NIMASA Medium-Term Strategic Plan of September 2025-August 2028 hosted at the Nigeria Maritime Resource Development Centre, Apapa, Lagos, listed the achievements recorded under the supervision of the Minister, Oyetola, to include four consecutive years of zero piracy incidents in Nigerian waters, Nigeria’s election into the Category C of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) after 14 years, and lifting of the 12-year Condition of Entry (CoE) imposed by the United States Coast Guard on vessels originating from Nigerian ports and destined for USA among others.
The DG challenged staff not to rest on their oars emphasising that sustaining and building on these gains requires a more disciplined and performance-driven approach.
In his words, “sustaining and building on these gains requires a more disciplined, performance-driven approach, and the decisions we take here will not only shape our internal processes but also impact the broader trajectory of Nigeria’s maritime sector”.
He said the import of this charge becomes even more telling considering the fact that Nigeria today accounts for over 47% of all port calls in the Gulf of Guinea, which has clearly positioned the nation as the dominant maritime hub in the region.
Dr. Mobereola therefore urged management staff at the session to be “sincere in discussing their current realities, focused in prioritizing the areas that truly move the needle and what we need to do to make progress in those areas as well as being accountable to ensure that every outcome from this session must translate into clear ownership, timelines, and measurable results.
“This is a good place for constructive engagement where ideas can be challenged, refined, and transformed into actionable strategies. The strength of this Agency lies in our collective expertise, and we must leverage that fully”, he said.
While appreciating all staff for being part of what he referred to as the most transformative chapter in the history of the Agency, the DG added that “we are not merely improving processes; we are building a new foundation for efficiency, transparency, innovation and international recognition. The automation of the Ship Registry, the review of STCW, the disbursement of the CVFF, the automation of our workflow system, and several other reforms are initiatives that will fundamentally change the way we operate and how Nigeria is perceived globally”.
The Senior Management Strategy Session is periodically hosted to collectively review the direction, reaffirm priorities and strengthen the resolve towards achieving the Agency’s objectives and statutory mandate in line with the Ministerial deliverables.
