The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has intensified efforts to dismantle illegal checkpoints along Nigeria’s port corridors, prosecute officials involved in extortion, and deploy a fully integrated digital platform that will eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and reduce opportunities for corruption in government services.

The Council also announced plans to deepen judicial reforms through the expansion of Small Claims Courts, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms and specialised commercial courts, while preparing to launch EnableHer, a nationwide initiative designed to formalise and scale businesses operating in the informal sector.

Director-General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, disclosed the reforms during an interactive session with State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday, saying the Tinubu administration had shifted the Council’s focus from policy formulation to implementation, with measurable improvements already being recorded across government agencies.

“Our focus has been clear, to move from policy to measurable implementation. Reforms are only meaningful when businesses and citizens experience them in their everyday interactions with government,” she said.

Audu said President Bola Tinubu’s administration is leveraging regulatory reforms to unlock private investment, stimulate economic growth, create jobs and support the government’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.

She credited President Tinubu for providing strategic direction and Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chairman of PEBEC, for driving implementation across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Audu said PEBEC’s crackdown on illegal checkpoints around the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports was a sustained institutional reform rather than a one-off enforcement exercise.

According to her, previous sting operations could not lead to prosecutions because investigators lacked direct evidence linking officials to extortion.

She, however, disclosed that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), working with PEBEC, has now identified all legitimate checkpoints and commenced the installation of signboards bearing QR codes that enable truck drivers and freight forwarders to instantly report extortion, harassment and other forms of misconduct.

“The committee is very consistent and persistent. We are not under the illusion that one exercise will solve everything. That is why we carry out quarterly visits and continuous monitoring,” she said.

She revealed that transport unions and freight operators would be engaged later in the year to strengthen compliance and encourage real-time reporting backed by credible evidence.

“If we obtain evidence of extortion, rent-seeking or any form of malpractice, we will work with the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to prosecute offenders to the full extent of the law,” she declared.

Beyond enforcement, Audu said government agencies are also tackling environmental sanitation around the ports and introducing a unified electronic access pass to restrict unauthorised movement into the port corridors.

She acknowledged that enforcement remains challenging in some areas because of overlapping jurisdictions involving the Nigerian Ports Authority, Lagos State Government and privately-owned facilities.

The PEBEC boss disclosed that government is developing a unified digital platform through which businesses will access services from multiple government agencies using a single set of credentials.

She said the initiative would eliminate repeated requests for the same information by different agencies.

“For instance, once a business provides its Corporate Affairs Commission registration number or Tax Identification Number, government agencies should be able to retrieve all relevant information without requiring multiple submissions,” she said.

According to Audu, reducing physical interactions between businesses and regulators will significantly curb rent-seeking and improve service delivery.

She added that PEBEC’s periodic “mystery shopping” assessments across 69 business-facing MDAs have already contributed to noticeable improvements in transparency and accountability.

Audu said implementation of the Business Facilitation Act has compelled MDAs to publish service timelines, official fees, documentation requirements and processing standards.

She also highlighted the introduction of the Nigerian Regulatory Impact Analysis Framework to ensure new regulations are based on stakeholder consultations and evidence rather than arbitrary decisions.

“We no longer want situations where agencies wake up and introduce policies without engaging stakeholders. Regulations must be evidence-based, transparent and investment-friendly,” she said.

The DG also cited the relaunch of the ReportGov platform, through which businesses can submit complaints directly to 69 business-facing agencies and receive responses within 72 hours.

Physical ReportGov kiosks have equally been established at airports and seaports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Apapa and Tin Can Island.

To reduce regulatory duplication, she said PEBEC grouped MDAs into operational clusters, leading to agreements such as the Memorandum of Understanding between the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), allowing both agencies to recognise each other’s inspection reports and certifications.

She also cited improved collaboration between the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), which now jointly facilitate cargo processing within Special Economic Zones.

According to Audu, the Port and Customs Efficiency Committee, inaugurated in April 2025 under Vice President Shettima, inherited cargo dwell times averaging 21 days but is implementing reforms to reduce clearance to seven days through joint inspections, increased cargo scanning and the National Single Window initiative.

She said PEBEC has also expanded engagement with state governments through nationwide Ease of Doing Business tours, activation of State Ease of Doing Business Councils and implementation of the World Bank-supported $750 million State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) programme.

“Our reports identify investment-ready states, and naturally governors are competitive. When one state performs well, others are encouraged to improve,” she said.

Audu urged states to strengthen microfinance institutions and development finance corporations to attract funding from institutions such as the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, Afreximbank and the African Development Bank.

“We must be intentional about attracting funding and building patient capital because businesses cannot scale without access to finance,” she added.

The DG said PEBEC is also collaborating with the judiciary to strengthen Small Claims Courts, ADR mechanisms and specialised commercial courts to ensure business disputes are resolved quickly and at lower cost.

She explained that Small Claims Courts allow entrepreneurs with relatively low-value claims to represent themselves without engaging lawyers, making justice more accessible to MSMEs and nano businesses.

She warned that prolonged litigation often destroys businesses.

“In some states, business disputes must be resolved within 12 months. That’s practical. But there are civil cases that can last 12 years. By then, the business may have shut down,” she said.

Audu further admitted that government had yet to adequately address the needs of businesses operating in the informal economy but announced plans to launch EnableHer, a programme that will establish business clusters equipped with stable electricity, shared production facilities and regulatory support.

“We are not doing enough. It is an area of concern for me, but we have a plan,” she said.
“We want to create business clusters where informal businesses can receive the right guidance, obtain the necessary certifications, become registered, improve and scale.”

Reaffirming the Tinubu administration’s commitment to regulatory certainty, Audu maintained that no business-facing regulator would be allowed to introduce abrupt policy changes without proper stakeholder consultation.

“Investors must be confident that their investments are safe in Nigeria. We are committed to ensuring regulatory certainty, transparency and accountability across government,” she said.