Why NPA Should Take Over Inland Dry Ports from Shippers’ Council — Oyetola
Oru Leonard
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has directed the transfer of Inland Dry Port (IDP) functions currently handled by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
Oyetola said the move was necessary to establish a clear separation between port economic regulation, infrastructure development and port operations, thereby eliminating overlapping responsibilities among agencies under the ministry.
The Minister gave the directive on Thursday, September 3, 2026, while also ordering the immediate constitution of a ministerial committee to oversee the transition of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council into the newly established Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA).
The transition follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA Act, 2026, which formally establishes a substantive economic regulator for Nigeria’s port sector.
According to Oyetola, the development provides an opportunity to create a regulatory institution that is independent of operational, developmental and promotional responsibilities that could create actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
“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,” he said.
He explained that the ministerial committee would provide the necessary oversight to ensure a seamless transition and ensure that every function is domiciled in the appropriate institution.
The Minister noted that the NSC had served as Nigeria’s interim port economic regulator since 2014, but would now transmute into NPERA under the new legal framework.
NPERA is expected to concentrate on economic regulatory functions, including regulation of tariffs and charges, promotion of competition, licensing, service standards, commercial dispute resolution and protection of port users.
Oyetola argued that an economic regulator must be able to operate as an impartial referee without simultaneously carrying out functions that could compromise or undermine public confidence in its neutrality.
“A regulator cannot function as an operator and, at the same time, be expected to be perceived as an unbiased referee,” he said.
He added that separating regulatory responsibilities from operational and infrastructure functions would strengthen transparency, improve confidence in the port sector and create a more predictable operating environment for port users, investors, terminal operators and shipping companies.
On the transfer of Inland Dry Port responsibilities to the NPA, Oyetola said the decision should not be interpreted as a reduction in the Federal Government’s commitment to developing dry ports across the country.
Rather, he said, the objective was to strengthen the IDP programme by placing its promotion within an institution with the operational and infrastructure mandate required to integrate the facilities into Nigeria’s wider port 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 Minister said.
He maintained that the ultimate objective was to build a more efficient and integrated port system capable of serving businesses and consumers across the country.
The ministerial committee is expected to guide the transition process and help clarify the institutional responsibilities of NPA, NPERA and other agencies within the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
