Nigerian Shippers’ Council’s intervention saves maritime stakeholders N348.8 million – Akutah

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has disclosed that, through dispute interventions, it saved the maritime stakeholders more than N348.8 million across Nigeria’s ports in the first quarter of 2026.

Within the quarter, the Council received 32 complaints, resolved 19, closed one case, and retained 12 for further investigation.

The Executive Secretary/CEO of the Council, Dr. Pius Akutah, who was the guest lecturer at the 25 Anniversary and Award Conferment of Maritime Watch newspaper in Lagos recently, disclosed this in a paper, titled “Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Costs in Nigerian Port through the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Regulatory Framework.”

Represented by Ms Adaora Nwonu,  Deputy Director, Standard Services Division, Akutah said “within the first-quarter of 2026, the NSC dispute interventions saved maritime stakeholders more than N348.8 million across Nigeria’s port. We received 32 complaints, resolved 19, closed one case, and retained 12 for further investigation.

“Our interventions helped users recover or avoid losses worth N348.81 million. shipping companies and agents attracted 22 complaints, Container deposit refunds led with five complaints, while arbitrary charges followed with four.”

Since assuming the position of the port regulator, Akutah added that between January and June 2024 alone, the Council saved over ₦31.1 billion for port users through demurrage automation, while operational performance improved by over 400% compared to manual confirmation processes by the Council.

He maintained that one of the major strengths of the Council’s interventions was that they were measurable, evidence-based, and outcome-driven, saying “the initiative has significantly reduced excessive and unverifiable charges, improved transparency, minimized delays, and streamlined documentation processes.”

The Executive Secretary further added that the Council also saved $12.35 million from Port Process Reforms through the implementation of the Nigerian Port Process Manual (NPPM) and the activities of the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) while considering the estimated vessel delay cost of approximately $20,000 per vessel per day.

As the port regulator, Akutah said the Council is mandated to regulate tariffs, rates and charges within the port sector; promote fair competition; prevent abuse of dominant market positions; protect the interests of port users and service providers; and ensure service efficiency and standardization.

According to him, at the core of the regulatory framework is a simple but powerful principle, port services must be available, accessible, affordable, predictable, stable, and adequate.

On why port efficiency matters, Akutah said “port efficiency is not merely a maritime issue; it is fundamentally an economic issue. Every delay encountered at the port carries financial implications for importers, exporters, manufacturers, transporters, and ultimately the Nigerian consumers.

“When cargo clearance is delayed or arbitrary charges are imposed: production costs increase, supply chains become inefficient, inflationary pressures rise, and export competitiveness declines.

“In practical terms, inefficient ports function as an invisible tax on the economy.

“Therefore, improving port efficiency is directly linked to improving national economic productivity and reducing the cost of doing business in Nigeria.”

Commending the management of Maritime Watch newspaper for frequent reporting on Nigerian port operations and maritime reforms, updates on seaport activities, Akutah said the Council would continue to champion the digital transformation of port operations through electronic cargo documentation, automated manifest systems, online complaint management platforms, and digital regulatory processes.

He said this would lead to faster transaction cycles, reduced human interface, improved transparency, lower administrative costs, and reduced opportunities for corruption.

Concluding, Akutah said the Council has significantly transformed the Nigerian port regulatory environment by introducing structure, transparency and predictability. “These outcomes clearly demonstrate that effective economic regulation is not a constraint to trade; rather, it is a catalyst for efficiency, competitiveness, investment confidence, and sustainable economic growth.”

In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr Tokunbo Olubodun Simpson, Executive Director, Tokscetera International Limited, commended the management of Maritime Watch newspaper on the 25 anniversary and urged them to remain steadfast in giving accurate information to maritime industry operators.

He said the stakeholders conferred with various awards were men and women who have contributed immensely to the growth of the maritime sector in particular and the nation at large.

In his welcome address, the Publisher/CEO of Maritime Watch, Prince Shola Mekusi, expressed appreciations to some key stakeholders including the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for their support over the years and pointed out that in the last 25 years, Maritime Watch, like other business concerns, has faced a lot of challenges, including consistent rise in the printing costs.

“As usual with business endeavours in Nigeria and the world at large, we have had our own share of challenges in the last 25 years of our existence and operations. In all of the challenges, the most disturbing has been the consistent rise in the cost of production items and services as a result of inflation and foreign exchange indices. This has had adverse effects on our financial turnovers, as we struggle to break even most of the time,” said Prince Shola Mekusi.

For the survival of the media industry in Nigeria, he called on the government to reduce the prices of printing materials and related items for Newspaper production. “This will go a long way to assist in the overall mission of repositioning the sector for impactful information dissemination,” said Mekusi, promising that the newspaper would continent to serve the maritime industry and the nation better in the coming years.