Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Dr Pius Akutah, has solicited the support of the agency’s governing board to ensure the actualisation of the Nigeria Port Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Bill, the implementation of the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) and the operationalisation of the one per cent Freight Stabilisation Fee.

Akutah appealed at the inaugural meeting of the newly inaugurated board at the Council’s headquarters in Lagos.
Akutah said these initiatives are critical to strengthening regulatory clarity, improving cargo visibility, enhancing national security and securing sustainable revenue for the Council.

He added that while the task before the Council is significant, there is also a major opportunity to reposition the NSC as a financially resilient and institutionally stronger regulator.

“Management is fully committed to supporting the Board with robust data, sound financial analysis and structured stakeholder engagement to ensure that all initiatives are pursued in a lawful, transparent and stakeholder-responsive manner,” he said.

Akutah said a collaborative relationship between the board and management would deliver tangible institutional and financial outcomes for the NSC.

Akutah expresses optimism that with the quality of the board formation, it will assist in achieving the Council’s target.

On his part, the Chairman of the board, Dr Ibrahim Shema, pledged support for the management of the Council to play a key role in helping the Federal Government achieve an economic growth target of at least seven per cent by 2027–2028.

Shema said the board would also work closely with management to actualise President Bola Tinubu’s target of growing Nigeria’s economy to a $1 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030.

Shema, a former Governor of Katsina State, noted that achieving the ambitious growth and GDP targets would require sustained effort and commitment from both the board and management.

The board chairman stressed that all hands must be on deck for Nigeria to fully harness the potential of the blue economy sector.