Blue Economy
Akutah Draws the Line: NSC Chief Tells Shipping Lines and Freight Forwarders to End Tariff War Now
Akutah Draws the Line: NSC Chief Tells Shipping Lines and Freight Forwarders to End Tariff War Now
By Emetena Ikuku | Waterways News Correspondent | Lagos
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has put both shipping companies and freight forwarders on notice — the sector cannot afford to remain locked in a tariff standoff, and the time for resolution is now.
Speaking at a high-stakes stakeholders’ forum held Tuesday at the Council’s Lagos headquarters, NSC Executive Secretary and CEO Dr. Pius Akutah delivered what amounted to a direct warning to all parties: continued disagreement over the approved 30 per cent tariff increase risks destabilising Nigeria’s ports at a moment the economy can least afford it.
Nigeria’s maritime sector cannot afford a standoff at this critical time
“Nigeria’s maritime sector cannot afford a standoff at this critical time,” Akutah told the gathering of shipping companies, freight forwarders, importers, and exporters. He urged all sides to prioritise dialogue, reminding them that as the nation’s port economic regulator, the Council exists to protect both consumers and service providers — and that it intends to do exactly that.
The 30 per cent tariff increase, he explained, was not plucked from thin air. It was carefully calibrated to balance the financial sustainability of shipping operations against the wider burden on Nigeria’s economy. Shipping companies, he revealed, had initially pushed for increases ranging from 150 to 200 per cent — figures the Council rejected outright as economically reckless. The approved 30 per cent, Akutah insisted, was sufficient to keep operators afloat without crushing businesses and consumers.
Crucially, he clarified that the approved figure is a ceiling, not a floor. Operators are free to implement lower increments — 10 or 20 per cent — depending on the outcome of direct negotiations with their counterparts. Several companies, he noted, have already begun those conversations.
The March 2026 suspension of the tariff implementation, Akutah maintained, was deliberate — designed to buy time for broader consultation across the maritime value chain. That window, he made clear, should now be used productively, not squandered on posturing.
He also addressed the flashpoint that ignited much of the tension: the conduct of a shipping agency chief executive whose remarks had inflamed freight forwarders and hardened positions on both sides. While he acknowledged the incident, Akutah was firm that personal friction must not be allowed to derail an industry-wide settlement.
Stakeholders at the forum were broadly supportive of a tariff adjustment in principle, but sharp in their criticism of how the process unfolded. Jamilu Umar, President of the National Shippers’ Association of Nigeria, made the distinction plainly: the problem was never the increase itself, but the failure to bring all parties into the conversation before decisions were announced. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria backed that position, calling for a binding requirement that shipping companies consult stakeholders before any future rate changes take effect.
From the operators’ side, Boma Alabi, President of the Shipping Association of Nigeria, acknowledged the difficult operating environment driving the tariff push — including a new minimum wage benchmark of ₦200,000 within the subsector — but accepted that the 30 per cent fell below what the industry had hoped for. She called for sustained collaboration to build a more competitive and resilient maritime sector.
The message from all sides, then, is largely the same: the tariff must be adjusted, but the path to implementation must be paved with genuine engagement. Akutah’s challenge to the industry is to get that done — and quickly.
Waterways News | Lagos | April 15, 2026