Shippers’ Council Awaits Senate, As Reps Passes Port Economic Regulator Bill

The Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC), on Friday, announced that the House of Representatives has passed the Nigerian Shipping and Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill.

Speaking on Friday at the 2024 Operational Retreat organized for middle management officers of the agency, the executive secretary of the Council, Bar. Pius Akutah, explained that the Bill has gone to the Senate for reading.

“Just last week, the House of Representatives passed our bill, the Nigerian Shipping and Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill. That’s a big step in the right direction. And just this last Tuesday, the Senate was poised to pass the bill so that it begins to prepare for Presidential Assent.

“We were there at the National Assembly up until 11pm, but because of the supplementary budget, that line on the other paper of the Senate was not taken.”

“The Senate has done the first reading of the Bill, and what’s left is for them to pass the bill. But the National Assembly has gone into recess. We believe that as soon as they are back from recess, that Bill will be passed into law.”

The role that we are playing as economic regulators, once we have the law in place, which gives us the capacity to not only bark but bite, I believe that the sector will be better for it. And we are counting on all of you as well here, as the engine room of this agency,” Akutah stated.

The executive secretary, however, urged the officers to prepare themselves for top management roles.

“I want to enjoin all of you to take this training as one of the avenues that we try to build capacity for the new roles that the Council has assumed. This training is tagged training for middle management grade level 12 to 14. As middle management officers, I want you to start preparing yourselves for top management roles.

“I want you to know that in any organisation, middle management is the engine room that drives policy implementation.

“I want to bring you the greetings of the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, who has been very supportive to us as a Council. The Minister is driving the Blue economy ministry, writing up the policy for this sector, and he is keen to see that it kicks off to achieve the desire of Mr. President that this sector contributes to the national GDP.

“The Nigerian Shippers Council, I want to let you know, is not just a factor in that regard, but is a key factor in moving the economy of this country forward through this sector that we have here,” he stated.