After a long period on uncertainties, the Senate has finally granted concurrence passage to the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill 2026. The Bill was passed during plenary in Abuja on Tuesday.
The passage followed a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele and seconded by the Minority Leader, Sen. Abba Moro (Benue South).
The lawmakers had, before consideration, rescinded their earlier decision on the bill, as previously passed and transmitted to the president for assent.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the Bill was first passed by the National Assembly in 2025, for assent by the President. It was however returned by the President to the National Assembly for amendments, owing to certain clauses that were seen as potential areas of clash with other agencies of government.
Confirming this yesterday at plenary, Senator Opeyemi informed that following critical examination by the Ministry of Justice, fundamental issues were identified requiring fresh legislative action.
He stated that a technical committee comprising the Senate, House of Representatives and legal drafting experts from the Directorate of Legal Services had convened.
The committee, he said, was mandated to resolve the issues raised after the detailed scrutiny of the bill and recommend necessary corrections for legislative reconsideration.
Relying on Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders, the lawmakers rescinded their earlier decision on the bill, as previously passed.
The committee, thereafter, recommitted the bill to the Committee of the Whole for comprehensive consideration, amendment and passage, in line with legislative procedures.
At the Committee of the Whole, the lawmakers subsequently considered and passed the bill clause by clause after exhaustive deliberation. It was later re-passed as Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill 2026.
The Bill is expected to be transmitted to the Presidency for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent.
The Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill seeks to empower the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) as the port economic regulator.
Until Shipping Position Daily reported exclusively on January 19, 2026, that the Bill was at the Senate awaiting concurrence after the House of Reps had passed it, most stakeholders had believed that the mandatory assent to the Bill was withheld by the President.
Despite its strategic importance, the bill has faced prolonged delays and institutional resistance, which, according to the source, remains a major challenge.
The prolonged absence of a clearly-defined port economic regulator has continued to generate concerns among port users, freight forwarders, and other stakeholders, many of whom argue that the regulatory vacuum has contributed to arbitrary port charges, overlapping agency roles, and recurring disputes within the port system.
Although the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has functioned as the de facto port economic regulator since 2015, based on a gazetted executive order, stakeholders insist that a statutory backing remains necessary to strengthen enforcement and provide certainty across the industry.
