Oyetola orders transfer of dry port functions to NPA

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, has ordered the transfer of Inland Dry Port, IDP, functions from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NSC, to the Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA.

Mr Oyetola said the move was aimed at separating regulatory functions from operations and establishing clear institutional boundaries among agencies under the ministry.

The minister gave the directive in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos by his Special Adviser, Dr Bolaji Akinola.

He also directed the immediate constitution of a ministerial committee to oversee the transition of the NSC into the newly established Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency, NPERA.

The transition follows President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA Act in August, formally establishing a substantive economic regulator for Nigeria’s port sector.

Mr Oyetola said the reforms would provide a clear framework for the new port economic regulatory regime, eliminate overlapping responsibilities and ensure that agencies operated within defined mandates.

He said the NSC, which had served as the interim port economic regulator since 2014, would transition into NPERA with expanded statutory powers.

According to him, NPERA will be responsible for tariff regulation, promotion of competition, licensing, service standards, commercial dispute resolution and protection of port users nationwide.

The minister said the transition offered an opportunity to establish a regulator clearly separated from the operational, developmental and promotional responsibilities previously domiciled in the NSC.

“We must get the transition right. The establishment of NPERA is a landmark reform and must be carefully managed for seamless institutional alignment,” he said.

Mr Oyetola said the ministerial committee would oversee the process to ensure that every function was domiciled in the appropriate institution and that no critical responsibility was lost during the transition.

He stressed that the credibility of an economic regulator depended on its ability to function as an impartial referee without operational duties capable of creating actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

“A regulator cannot be an operator and still be perceived as unbiased. Clear separation will strengthen confidence, transparency and predictability for investors and port users,” Mr Oyetola said.

On the transfer of IDP functions to NPA, the minister said the decision did not signal reduced government commitment to the dry port programme.

Rather, he said, it was designed to strengthen the programme by placing the functions within authority’s operational and infrastructure mandate.

“We are committed to efficient, integrated ports serving the entire country. Placing IDPs with NPA will improve connectivity and delivery across Nigeria’s logistics chain,” he said.

NAN