Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru 

The recent technical discussions between the leadership of the newly transmuted Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) mark a critical turning point in the governance of Nigeria’s maritime sector.

Prompted by a definitive ministerial directive from the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, the two agencies are moving to operationalize the transfer of Inland Dry Port functions from the old Nigerian Shippers’ Council architecture straight to the NPA.

For decades, Nigeria’s maritime ecosystem has been severely suffocated by overlapping institutional mandates, administrative friction, and a counterproductive confusion over who regulates commerce versus who drives infrastructure.

By enforcing this sweeping separation of port economic regulation from core operational development, the federal government is finally addressing the structural flaws that have long stopped Nigeria from becoming the dominant maritime hub of West Africa.

Under the fresh provisions of the NPERA Act 2026, particularly the critical alignment of Section 51, the administrative boundary lines are being redrawn with clinical precision.

The old regime, which forced the Shippers’ Council to simultaneously act as an economic referee and an active promoter of inland dry ports, was an unsustainable model that created inherent institutional contradictions.

You cannot effectively police a commercial market while actively building and managing its operational assets.

Shifting the promotion, development, and operational oversight of inland dry ports entirely to the NPA allows the authority to leverage its massive, existing deep-sea infrastructure and engineering competencies to rapidly scale up these hinterland Ports.

This clean realignment ensures that Inland Dry Ports stop being slow-moving administrative projects and finally become hyper-efficient logistics nodes that seamlessly extend the economic reach of our coastlines into the landlocked states of the North.

Consequently, the collaborative maturity demonstrated during the recent strategy session between NPERA Director-General, Dr. Pius Akutah, and the NPA Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, signals a refreshing departure from the toxic inter-agency warfare that defined the past.

In previous dispensations, such a sweeping transfer of functions would have triggered fierce turf battles, with executives aggressively hoarding administrative powers to the detriment of national trade efficiency.

Akutah’s strategic proposal for a high-level joint committee—integrating NPERA, NPA, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and the parent ministry, proactively tethers all moving parts to a single, accountable execution framework.

This coordinated approach is exactly what is needed to assure international shipping lines, domestic clearing agents, and private concessionaires that the transition will be frictionless, legally sound, and completely free from double-taxation trapdoors.

Ultimately, the successful execution of this structural unbundling will be the ultimate metric used to grade President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Marine and Blue Economy agenda.

If properly managed, freeing NPERA to focus strictly on economic regulation will create a fiercely competitive, transparently priced maritime marketplace that drives down the prohibitive cost of doing business at our Ports.

Simultaneously, placing the Inland Dry Ports within the NPA’s operational portfolio should accelerate cargo evacuation times, de-congest the chaotic Apapa and Tin Can corridors, and unlock the dormant multi-billion dollar trade potential of the hinterlands.

Minister Oyetola has laid down a courageous, legally backed blueprint for structural clarity. It is now up to the joint leadership of Akutah and Dantsoho to aggressively transform this institutional unbundling into a thriving, world-class economic reality.

Ibrahim Nasiru is a public affairs analyst

Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru

The latest operational data from Nigeria’s maritime sector shows a significant shift in trade capacity that deserves close attention.

In a period where national economic discourse is heavily focused on foreign exchange stability and trade balance, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) recently released its operational performance report for the second quarter of 2026.

The figures indicate clear, measurable progress across our major shipping channels.

Under the current management led by Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, total cargo throughput at the nation’s seaports grew by 12.3% year-on-year, moving from 31.83 million metric tonnes in the second quarter of 2025 to 35.74 million metric tonnes in Q2 2026.

This growth was closely supported by a 14.4% increase in ocean-going vessel traffic, which recorded 1,201 vessel calls during the three months under review.

These statistics are notable because they reflect actual operational changes rather than mere administrative adjustments.

For decades, Nigerian Ports were held back by slow container clearing times, heavy bureaucratic red tape, and severe traffic congestion around the Lagos Ports.

The current upward trend shows that the ongoing efforts toward Port modernization, including the digital integration of the National Single Window system, are beginning to show results on the ground.

By reducing physical bottlenecks and shortening the time cargo spends at the berths, terminal operations are becoming more reliable for international shipping lines and domestic businesses alike.

A highly encouraging aspect of the Q2 2026 data is the 22% increase recorded in export-related outward cargo.

For an economy that urgently needs to diversify away from absolute reliance on crude oil revenues, this rise in export volumes shows that the policy of establishing dedicated export terminals is functioning as intended.

Local manufacturing concerns, agricultural aggregators, and non-oil exporters are finding it relatively easier to move their goods out to global markets.

Additionally, the emergence of transshipment container traffic—which grew to 29,038 TEUs this quarter from zero in the same period last year—proves that Nigeria is regaining its position as a major logistics transit hub for the West African sub-region.

However, the report also highlights a persistent structural reality that economic planners must continue to address.

Out of the 35.74 million metric tonnes of cargo handled, inward cargo or imports still accounted for the larger share at 56.8%, while outward cargo stood at 41.9%.

While the gap is closing due to the 22% export growth, it reminds us that maritime efficiency must be backed by a strong domestic production base.

The Ports can only serve as efficient gateways; the real value lies in ensuring that what leaves our shores consists of processed, value-added Nigerian goods rather than just raw agricultural products or unrefined solid minerals.

The second-quarter performance numbers show that the maritime sector is currently serving as a stable and productive engine for the nation’s broader economic goals.

It demonstrates that clear policy direction and disciplined institutional management can stabilize critical national infrastructure even during periods of global trade volatility.

As the NPA works to sustain this momentum through the rest of the year, the priority must remain on full automation, eliminating unreceipted costs at the Ports, and strengthening rail connectivity to the hinterland.

By locking in these operational gains, Nigeria is steadily turning its maritime gateways into solid pillars of long-term commercial prosperity.

Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja 

Ibrahim Nasiru

True political organization is not built in the backrooms of elite zoning committees; it is won on the streets through strategic inclusion and clear, structured planning.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has just sent a powerful shockwave across Nasarawa State by formally unveiling its joint ticket for the Government House in Lafia.

By pairing Retired Major General Nuhu Angbazo with Barrister Hassan Yakubu, the party is moving past typical political slogans to present a disciplined, highly structured alternative.

On paper, traditional operatives might view this as just another standard campaign adjustment.

But beneath the surface, this timely move is a deliberate attempt to change the old narrative and challenge the ruling party’s continuous control with a ticket backed by clear administrative ambition.

The pairing of a seasoned military strategist like General Angbazo with a legal mind and grassroots mobilizer like Barrister Hassan Yakubu is a masterstroke in political game theory.

It balances strict institutional discipline with deep, ground-level political networking.

While the ruling party continues to struggle with internal friction and broken promises, the ADC is showing the public an organized, unified front.

With key figures like Jibril Sabo Keana immediately rallying support behind this new team, the party is proving that it is completely focused on one goal: winning.

This ticket is not just trying to pull votes from different zones; it is offering the people a balanced, highly capable team ready to handle the complex realities of modern governance.

What makes the Angbazo and Hassan ticket particularly dangerous for the incumbent government is its ability to connect with everyday people.

This partnership moves the conversation away from elite power-sharing deals and focuses it squarely on real development.

In a state that is currently experiencing a massive solid minerals boom, our communities are still suffering from poor infrastructure and a lack of basic public services.

The entry of this new team completely changes the political dynamics. It forces the conversation away from beautiful executive promises and shifts it toward practical solutions for economic growth, public health funding, and grassroots survival.

Ultimately, the unveiling of this joint ticket shows that the path to real transformation in Nasarawa State does not rely on short-term political slogans.

It requires a solid, unified structure that is built to last. While the ruling party remains heavily distracted by its own internal campaign council frictions and long-term succession disputes, the ADC has quietly positioned itself as the most stable, ready-to-govern alternative in Lafia.

By offering a clean choice between continuous corporate exploitation and structured public development, this new team has handed the ordinary people a genuine blueprint for liberation.

Chief Ibrahim Nasiru is a public affairs analyst