Minister Inaugurates 11-man NPA Governing Board

Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has inaugurated an 11-man governing board of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) following their appointment by President Bola Tinubu.

The minister, while inaugurating the board members in Abuja on Monday, said: “The inauguration of the board aligns seamlessly with the broader vision of President Bola Tinubu to reposition key institutions of government for optimal performance. In accordance with the provisions of the NPA Act, this exercise underscores the administration’s firm commitment to institutional reforms aimed at enhancing trade facilitation, improving transparency, and unlocking the immense potential of our marine and blue economy for inclusive, sustainable economic growth.”

The minister further noted that under Section 2 of the NPA Act, the Governing Board is vested with key policy responsibilities, particularly in the areas of staff matters (Section 10(3)(b)) and the formulation and approval of budgetary estimates (Section 20).

“These responsibilities are executed primarily through the board’s two strategic committees — the Staff and Establishment Committee and the Finance Committee — each playing a vital role in ensuring that the Authority functions efficiently and in alignment with national goals,” the minister stated.

He also stated that it was important to emphasise that the day-to-day operations and execution of policy decisions remain solely the responsibility of the managing director and the management team as this is clearly stipulated in Section 10(3) of the NPA Act and further reinforced by the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, noting that clear boundaries between governance and management must be maintained for operational integrity and efficiency.

The minister reiterated that as governing board members, they were responsible for setting operational and administrative policies in line with government policy directives aimed at assisting the NPA to achieve its mandate and also responsible for measuring performance against targets as well as introducing broad policy measures that will curtail deviations in order to achieve the set targets.

He enjoined them to engender harmonious working relationship with the management of NPA in order to achieve the overall objectives of government for appointing the board members.

The board members inaugurated include: Senator Adebayo Adeyeye as chairman; Dr. Mercy Ilori, member representing Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy; Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, MD NPA, member; Amirudin Tukur Idris, member; Ekpebide Ebi-Erin Daniel, member; Lawan Zarami, member; Olabanjo Olateju, member; Barr. Kelechi Igwe, member; Ibrahim Umar, executive director, NPA, member; Olalekan Badmus, executive director, NPA, member, and Vivian Edeth, executive director, NPA, member.

While responding on behalf of other members, the chairman, Adeyeye expressed the Board’s appreciation to President Tinubu and the minister for considering them worthy to serve the nation in the capacity and pledged that the Board in collaboration with the management of NPA and the ministry will work together to the development of the NPA and the ministry at large.