The executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Dr. Akutah Pius, said President Bola Tinubu had provided vision and political will to reform Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy sector.
He disclosed this when the chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, led members of the Committee on an oversight visit to the Council’s in Lagos on Thursday.
According to Akutah, Oyetola’s guidance has supported and repositioned the Council as a driver of trade facilitation, regulation and growth.
The Council’s boss acknowledged the pivotal role played by the National Assembly in the historic passage of the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Bill 2025.
“It is a milestone that will forever reshape Nigeria’s maritime industry. It guarantees fairness, transparency, and competitiveness at our ports, and reflects the legislature’s enduring legacy in strengthening this critical sector,” he said.
In his remarks, Senator Eshinlokun-Sanni explained that the Committee’s oversight visit was a constitutional responsibility vested in the National Assembly by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“This empowers the National Assembly to conduct oversight visits to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). Our visit to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council aligns with this mandate,” he stated.
He stressed the essence of such visits was to ensure transparency, accountability, and efficiency in implementing government policies and programmes.
Senator Eshinlokun further expressed the Committee’s readiness to support the Council’s transition into the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), noting that its establishment would strengthen the Council’s capacity to execute its regulatory mandate across the nation’s ports effectively.