NPERA to slam N20m fine on errant seaport operators

The Director-General of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), Dr Pius Akutah, on Wednesday warned that seaport operators who flout economic regulation face a penalty of N20million, while individual offenders face a minimum penalty of N500,000. Akutah said the agency was committed to transforming the port regulatory environment through stronger enforcement, standard-setting, automation and digitisation. The NPERA DG spoke in Lagos on Wednesday when the President of the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN), Mr Moses Ebosele, led a delegation of the association on a courtesy visit to NPERA. According to Akutah, the agency was established not only to regulate the economic activities at the ports but also to enforce compliance and deter practices capable of undermining trade and port efficiency. He said NPERA now has stronger legal provisions for sanctioning infractions, unlike the previous regulatory framework under the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.