President Bola Tinubu has assented to the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Bill, 2026, establishing a dedicated statutory economic regulator for the country’s port sector.
The development was announced by Dr Pius Akutah, Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), in a Facebook post. “Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency Act, 2026. Thank you Mr. President for making it a reality,” he wrote.
The legislation ends years of interim arrangements. In 2014 the Federal Government designated the Nigerian Shippers’ Council as the temporary economic regulator for the ports after their concession. Without a dedicated Act, the Council had operated mainly on the basis of policy directives rather than a full statutory framework.
The new law is intended to give the regulator clear legal authority over tariffs, rates, charges, competition, licensing of port service providers and the resolution of commercial disputes. Officials expect it to deliver a more structured, independent and enforceable regulatory regime.
Earlier versions of the bill drew criticism from stakeholders and some maritime agencies, including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), over possible overlap of functions. After President Tinubu withheld assent to a previous version, the National Assembly revised the legislation to address legal and procedural concerns and passed an amended bill in April 2026.
With the President’s assent, attention now turns to implementation details: the commencement date, transition arrangements from the Shippers’ Council to the new agency, its governing structure, and the precise powers that will take effect under the Act.
Port operators, shipping lines, freight forwarders, importers and exporters are expected to watch closely how the agency handles tariffs, competition and dispute resolution. Supporters of the law say a clearer statutory framework should strengthen efficiency, competition and investor confidence in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
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