By Adedapo Adesanya
The Director-General of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), Mr Pius Akutah, has reiterated that efficient and competitive seaports are critical to Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
Mr Akutah said the agency was committed to transforming the port regulatory environment through stronger enforcement, standard-setting, automation and digitisation.
Mr Akutah said the agency was established not only to regulate the economic activities at the ports but also to enforce compliance and deter practices capable of undermining trade and port efficiency, when the President of the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN), Mr Moses Ebosele, led a delegation of the association on a courtesy visit to NPERA.
He said NPERA now has stronger legal provisions for sanctioning infractions, unlike the previous regulatory framework under the now defunct Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC)
“In the past, there was no such potency in our law, so we couldn’t enforce anything because the penalties were too insignificant to deter any infraction,” he said.
Mr Akutah, however, noted that the new framework provides for a minimum penalty of N500,000 for an individual first offender, while penalties can increase where infractions are repeated.
He added that the highest penalty for a corporation is N20 million, stressing that the agency could multiply the penalty where a company continued to violate the law.
“The aspects of the law on legal enforcement or criminal prosecution for infractions captured in the NPERA law will serve as deterrence,” he said.
The NPERA boss stressed that the objective was not to disrupt port operations but to establish a regulatory regime that would encourage stakeholders to comply with established standards.
“The idea is not to upset the system and make it chaotic or abnormal but rather to create a deterrent regime through the provisions of the law. With the fear of the consequences, they will play by the rules naturally,” he said.
Mr Akutah said NPERA would also focus on setting standards and promoting innovation and digitisation to make compliance easier and reduce opportunities for human interference.
“Ours is to set the standards and promote innovations and digitisation of this sector to the point that those standards become very easy for people to maintain. Enforcement, on our own part, is continuing to ensure that these standards are not lowered at any time,” he stated.
On concerns over multiple regulatory agencies carrying out physical checks at the ports and the impact on trade facilitation, Mr Akutah said NPERA was not seeking to prevent other government agencies from performing their statutory responsibilities.
He, however, insisted that such activities must be carried out responsibly without unnecessarily delaying cargo clearance.
The NPERA DG said greater automation and reduced human interference in port processes would help eliminate bottlenecks and make operations more seamless.
“Once these processes are seamless, it will reduce costs on its own. The cost component is very crucial to us,” he said.
Mr Akutah linked the drive for efficient ports directly to the Federal Government’s ambition of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
“If we are building a trillion-dollar economy, it is not only in terms of the amount of money that government will make but also the totality of the GDP of the economy that will promote that one trillion Dollars,” he said.
He added that the focus should extend beyond government revenue to the broader expansion of businesses and economic activities.
“It is not just about what revenue the government is making but also how much business is booming in the country. Within a limited time, we will begin to see the results,” Mr Akutah stated.
He also dismissed concerns over possible operational conflict between NPERA and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), explaining that both agencies have distinct responsibilities.
According to him, while NPA is responsible for the development of port infrastructure, including seaports and inland dry ports, NPERA is responsible for the economic regulation of the facilities.
Mr Akutah maintained that agencies within the marine and blue economy sector were working together to support the federal government’s economic diversification agenda and its target of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
On his part, the president of SCAN, Mr Moses Ebosele, said, “We are here first and foremost to congratulate the management and staff on the new responsibility entrusted to the Agency to regulate Nigeria’s seaports.
“We recognise that this is a significant mandate with far-reaching implications for the maritime sector, the economy and the country’s overall trade facilitation efforts.”
