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Maritime stakeholders have called on the Federal Government and lawmakers to pass the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Bill into law to boost port efficiency and competitiveness.
According to them, the continuous delay in signing the NPERA bill into law posed ambiguity over tariff setting and pricing mechanisms, increased commercial disputes, litigation and arbitrary charges, raised logistics costs and further delayed critical port governance reforms.
The NPERA bill, which was conceived to address these issues and to align Nigeria’s port governance framework with international best practices, has continued to experience delays in the legislative process, with the current hurdle being the prolonged presidential assent.
Daily Sun learnt that the fate of the bill will significantly impact Nigeria’s ports competitiveness, credibility and predictability of the regulatory framework, close long-standing institutional gaps, ensure fairness, reduce costs, avoid arbitrary charges, reinforce investor confidence, enhance port efficiency and safeguard the economic interests of all port users.
However, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Dr Pius Akuta, confirmed that the bill is before President Bola Tinubu for consideration and expressed confidence that the necessary steps would be taken to ensure its success before the current legislative cycle ends.
“The bill is currently before the President and remains within the constitutional time frame for assent. We are hopeful that the President will eventually assent to it. If the Assembly winds down before that happens, there could be challenges as the process may relapse, but we are optimistic that such a situation will be avoided,” he said.
Meanwhile, Head of Research, Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC), Eugene Nweke, said the President should accord urgent consideration to the Bill in recognition of its strategic importance to Nigeria’s economy and maritime sector.
According to him, the bill would provide a transparent and predictable framework for regulating port tariffs and charges, ensuring that pricing decisions are guided by established economic principles rather than administrative discretion.
He said the authority would also promote fair competition among terminal operators and service providers, discourage anti-competitive practices, strengthen investor confidence and provide a credible mechanism for resolving commercial disputes before they escalate into prolonged litigation.
Beyond economic regulation, Nweke said the Bill is expected to support Nigeria’s broader aspirations under the Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Blue Economy strategy, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by creating a more efficient, transparent and globally competitive port environment.
“At a time when neighbouring maritime nations are strengthening regulatory institutions to attract cargo traffic and investment, Nigeria must avoid policy inertia that could undermine its strategic position as the maritime gateway to West and Central Africa,” he stated.
On his part, President, Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS), Nicodemus Odolo, said Nigerian ports critically require a regulatory authority to protect shippers and other port users.
He argued that the Council serves as the primary institution protecting the interests of cargo owners and private sector operators, warning that the Bill’s removal without an alternative protection mechanism could create significant challenges for shippers.
