President Bola Tinubu has assented to the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Bill 2026, establishing a dedicated statutory economic regulator for Nigeria's port sector after more than a decade of stalled attempts to pass the legislation.
Nigerian Shippers' Council Executive Secretary Dr. Pius Akutah disclosed the assent in a social media post, thanking the President "for making it a reality." The new agency replaces an arrangement dating to 2014, under which the Shippers' Council performed economic regulatory functions at the ports without a dedicated law backing its authority. The new legislation gives the regulator power over tariffs, rates, charges, competition, licensing of port service providers, and resolution of commercial disputes.
The bill's path to signature was rocky — Tinubu had previously withheld assent over concerns about possible duplication of functions with the Nigerian Ports Authority and NIMASA, sending it back to the National Assembly for revision. An amended version passed in April 2026 before finally clearing the way for presidential assent this week. Marine and Blue Economy Minister Adegboyega Oyetola called it a "landmark development" that would strengthen regulation and improve efficiency across the country's ports.