NPERA Will Drive Nigeria Towards $1trn Economy, Akutah Tells Staff

By Odita Sunday 

The newly established Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) has been positioned to play a pivotal role in Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy, with its Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Pius Akutah, MON, urging staff to embrace professionalism, accountability and a results-driven work culture.

Akutah gave the charge during a town hall meeting with staff at the agency’s headquarters in Lagos, where he described the transition from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to NPERA as a major institutional transformation requiring a corresponding change in mindset and approach to work.

The meeting was one of the first major engagements between the new management and staff following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Act, 2026, which formally established NPERA as Nigeria’s statutory economic regulator for the ports.

Akutah said the new legislation had provided the agency with a stronger legal foundation and broader powers to promote efficiency, transparency, fair competition and competitiveness in the Nigerian port industry.

He said the NPERA Act had strengthened the agency’s regulatory powers, positioning it to institute effective regulation at the ports and drive improvements in efficiency, transparency and competitiveness.

The Director-General stressed that the transition was not merely a change of name or institutional identity, but a fundamental transformation that must be reflected in the conduct and performance of its personnel.

He therefore charged employees to build a work culture anchored on professionalism, accountability, innovation and measurable results.

According to him, NPERA’s effectiveness would ultimately be measured by the quality of services delivered to port users, the predictability of the regulatory environment and the agency’s contribution to making Nigerian ports more competitive.

Akutah linked the new regulatory framework to the Federal Government’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy, noting that an efficient and business-friendly port system was critical to expanding trade, attracting investment and unlocking the economic potential of Nigeria’s maritime sector.

He said NPERA would work towards creating a regulatory environment where shipping lines, terminal operators, importers, exporters, freight forwarders and other port users could operate with greater certainty.

The NPERA boss commended President Tinubu for assenting to the legislation, describing the Act as the long-awaited statutory framework for transforming port economic regulation into a full-fledged institutional mandate.

He also acknowledged the role of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, in providing leadership and facilitating stakeholder engagement that contributed to the passage of the legislation.

Similarly, he appreciated the National Assembly for enacting the law, saying the new framework provided an opportunity to address longstanding challenges affecting economic regulation in the ports.

Akutah, however, noted that the success of NPERA would depend largely on effective implementation and the ability of its personnel to translate the provisions of the law into measurable improvements for port users and the wider economy.

He assured stakeholders that NPERA would work closely with sister agencies, particularly the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), to deepen ongoing reforms and improve service delivery.

He clarified that the emergence of NPERA was not intended to create institutional rivalry within the maritime sector, but to provide a clearer separation of responsibilities and enable relevant agencies to operate effectively within their respective mandates.

Akutah said NPERA was expected to promote a healthy maritime sector capable of contributing significantly to Nigeria’s economic growth.

Under the NPERA Act, he said, the agency was empowered to regulate port tariffs and charges, enforce service standards, promote fair competition, facilitate trade and provide mechanisms for resolving commercial disputes within the ports industry.

He added that the agency would also strengthen protection for port users and promote a more transparent and predictable business environment capable of attracting investment and improving Nigeria’s position in regional and global maritime trade.

Akutah consequently charged staff to ensure that the transformation from the Shippers’ Council to NPERA was reflected not only in the agency’s expanded statutory powers, but also in professionalism, efficiency and a stronger service-oriented approach to their responsibilities.