Nigeria’s Senate has passed an amended version of the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill, 2026, in a decisive move to strengthen oversight of the country’s port system after correcting key legal and procedural gaps identified in the earlier draft.
The fresh passage followed a motion by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, seconded by Minority Leader Abba Moro, during plenary in Abuja.
The bill had previously been passed and transmitted to the President, but lawmakers later rescinded that decision after a post-passage review uncovered significant flaws. Acting under Senate rules, the chamber reopened the legislation to address the issues.
According to Bamidele, a detailed legal review by the Ministry of Justice exposed gaps serious enough to require a full legislative reset. A technical committee, comprising members of the Senate, House of Representatives, and legal drafting experts, was then constituted to revise the bill.
Following the committee’s work, the revised bill was subjected to clause-by-clause consideration at the Committee of the Whole before being passed after what lawmakers described as exhaustive deliberation.
The move signals growing scrutiny of regulatory frameworks expected to improve efficiency, pricing transparency, and competitiveness in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
The proposed law aims to establish a dedicated economic regulator for ports, an institutional gap long blamed for high logistics costs, tariff inconsistencies, and weak oversight of terminal operators.
If enacted, the new agency is expected to:
- Centralise tariff regulation
- Promote fair competition among port operators
- Enforce service delivery standards
- Strengthen dispute resolution mechanisms
Industry stakeholders have argued that overlapping roles among existing agencies have hindered transparency and efficiency across Nigerian ports.
With the Senate’s approval secured, the bill is expected to move to the House of Representatives for concurrence, if required, before being retransmitted to the President for assent.
The repassage underscores lawmakers’ determination to avoid regulatory ambiguities that could undermine investor confidence or trigger legal disputes.
It also comes amid broader reform efforts in Nigeria’s maritime sector, where stakeholders are pushing for improved governance, digitalisation, and policy alignment to unlock trade growth and reduce the high cost of doing business at the ports.
