NSC saved Nigerian shippers N90.6bn, secures major port reforms since 2023 — CEO

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council has said its regulatory interventions since November 2023 have protected more than N90.6bn and $1.348m in economic value for Nigerian shippers while advancing key reforms aimed at improving port efficiency, reducing the cost of doing business and strengthening Nigeria’s maritime sector.

Akutah Pius Ukeyima, executive secretary and chief executive officer of the Council, disclosed this on Saturday during a media luncheon with maritime editors in Lagos, where he presented a scorecard of the Council’s performance since assuming office.

According to him, the Council’s achievements align with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the policy direction of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

“Since assuming office in November 2023, the Management of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, under my leadership, has pursued a focused reform agenda to strengthen the Council’s role as Nigeria’s Port Economic Regulator and reposition it as a modern, efficient and globally competitive institution,” he said.

He added that the reforms, guided by President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the vision of Adegboyega Oyetola, the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, had delivered measurable progress in “economic regulation, consumer protection, trade facilitation, digital transformation, institutional renewal and stakeholder engagement.”

Ukeyima said the Council prevented over N86.06bn in unjustified demurrage payments through regulatory oversight and secured an additional N4.54bn and $1.348m in savings through alternative dispute resolution and other regulatory interventions.

“Within the period under review, the Council protected over N90.60 billion and $1.348 million in economic value for Nigerian shippers and the national economy,” he stated.

He disclosed that the Council received 558 complaints between the fourth quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2026, resolving 295 commercial disputes involving container deposits, demurrage, detention charges, cargo claims and export fraud.

According to him, out-of-court settlements involving APM Terminals Nigeria Limited, CMA CGM and Maersk Nigeria Limited over charges above approved tariffs also strengthened confidence in the Council’s dispute resolution framework.

On legislative reforms, the Executive Secretary described the passage of the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill by both chambers of the National Assembly as a landmark achievement.

He said once signed into law; the legislation would establish an independent port economic regulator with enhanced powers over tariffs, service standards, competition and commercial conduct.

“The passage of the NPERA Bill by both Chambers of the National Assembly represents a landmark reform in Nigeria’s maritime sector,” he said. “Once assented to, the legislation will establish an independent Port Economic Regulator with enhanced powers to regulate tariffs, service standards, competition and commercial conduct, thereby strengthening transparency and investor confidence across the port industry.”

Ukeyima also announced that the Council had secured statutory funding through the 2025 Appropriation Act for the first time since its establishment in 1978.

He said the funding mechanism would provide a sustainable framework for effective regulation and would be integrated into the National Single Window platform.

The Council, he added, had also supported the implementation of the National Single Window Project and resolved issues delaying the rollout of the International Cargo Tracking Note.

According to him, both initiatives would simplify cargo clearance, improve cargo visibility, strengthen supply chain security and reduce the time and cost of doing business at Nigerian ports.

On consumer protection, Ukeyima said the Council directed terminal operators to publicly display approved tariffs and required shipping companies to establish holding bays outside port premises to facilitate the return of empty containers and ease congestion.

He added that the Council abolished unauthorised surcharges imposed by some shipping lines, developed minimum service standards for operators and collaborated with the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to monitor compliance with port concession agreements.

To improve billing transparency, he said the Council harmonised bonded terminal invoice charges by reducing charge categories from 18 to six.

The executive secretary also highlighted progress in labour relations, revealing that the Council facilitated a new collective bargaining agreement between the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria and employers in the shipping industry.

The agreement, he said, resulted in a new minimum wage of N200,000 for junior workers after nearly two decades of negotiations, while discussions on an agreement for senior staff were at an advanced stage.

On infrastructure development, Ukeyima said operational Inland Dry Ports in Kaduna, Kano and Funtua were improving cargo movement and stimulating economic activity in inland regions.

He added that the Council was expanding its Border Information Centre programme, with new centres under development in Jigawa, Benue, Borno and Kebbi states, while the destroyed Jibia Border Information Centre would be reconstructed as part of its infrastructure renewal programme.

According to him, permanent Border Information Centre complexes would strengthen trade information services, improve regulatory coordination and support legitimate cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Internally, Ukeyima said the Council had deployed an Enterprise Content Management System to digitise thousands of legacy files, automate workflows and improve document security.

He said the organisation had also introduced a Leadership and Succession Planning Project, strengthened workforce development and aligned staff performance with institutional goals in preparation for the transition to the proposed Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency.

Looking ahead, the Executive Secretary said the Council would continue to deepen economic regulation, strengthen consumer protection, accelerate digital transformation and support implementation of the National Single Window and International Cargo Tracking Note.

“Our objective is clear: to build a transparent, efficient and globally competitive port economic regulatory system that protects Nigerian shippers, promotes fair competition, improves port efficiency, attracts investment and supports Nigeria’s emergence as the leading maritime and logistics gateway in West and Central Africa,” he said.

He reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to transparency and stakeholder engagement, noting that it would continue working with government agencies, industry operators, development partners and the media to sustain reforms and unlock opportunities in Nigeria’s marine and blue economy.