The National Shippers Association of Nigeria has rejected the recent increase in port service charges approved by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, warning that the move could raise trade costs and undermine the Federal Government’s Ease-of-Doing-Business agenda.

In a position paper submitted to the NSC, the association said the approval process was flawed, alleging that shippers were excluded from consultations required under the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act. NSAN, which represents cargo owners nationwide, described the development as a breach of regulatory trust.

“This is not just a procedural oversight; it is a regulatory failure,” the association said, arguing that the Council appeared to prioritise terminal operators’ profitability over the interests of shippers and the wider economy.

NSAN cautioned that the higher charges could increase landing costs for imports, worsen inflationary pressures, and create uncertainty for businesses already grappling with high operating costs.

The group also questioned the value proposition of the increase, noting that port efficiency has not improved sufficiently to justify higher tariffs. The association called on the NSC to immediately suspend implementation of the new charges and convene an inclusive stakeholder meeting within 14 days to agree on a transparent framework for future tariff reviews.

“We trust that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council will act with the integrity and fairness envisioned in its enabling act,” the Acting National President of NSAN, Alhaji Jamilu Goma, said.

NSAN said copies of the objection were also sent to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola; the National Assembly; and key private sector bodies, including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture, and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NSAN, Ali Madugu, said the decision by the shipping lines to increase tariffs by almost 60 per cent arbitrarily was made without consulting NSAN or other relevant stakeholders in the shipping industry. Madugu made this disclosure in his address to journalists following the stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos recently.

“We reject the recent tariff increase by service providers in the shipping industry, the shipping line. They arbitrarily woke up and increased their tariffs without really consulting with us, the cargo owners,” he said.

He stressed that NSAN members are the cargo owners, and there would be no shipping lines without them. According to him, it is only appropriate for the NSC and operators to consult them and reach an agreement before implementing any form of tariff increase.

It was earlier reported that the Nigerian Shippers Council had ordered all shipping companies, agents, and terminal operators at Nigerian ports to halt any tariff increases or adjustments until they had fully consulted with stakeholders.

In the statement, NSC Head of Public Relations, Rebecca Adamu, explained that the recent adjustments were approved strictly under the council’s statutory mandate as the Port Economic Regulator. The council stressed that all tariff reviews are conducted through a transparent, structured, and well-defined regulatory process.

It added, “Notwithstanding, shipping companies, agents, and terminal operators are hereby directed to suspend any intended review of charges until they have duly consulted and engaged their stakeholders. As the Port Economic Regulator, the NSC will wield the big stick against any port service providers disrupting port operations.”

Madugu pointed out that the association would like to know how the NSC arrived at the figures and what methodology or template was used to approve the increase. He stated that the NSC, as the regulator, ought to have engaged NSAN and other stakeholders for necessary input before making a decision.

The Western Zone Coordinator of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Femi Anifowose, said stakeholders were blindsided by the decision. “Somebody cannot just wake up one day and decide to increase charges without consulting the stakeholders, and the shippers’ council has given them a letter to that effect, which is wrong,” he said.

Anifowose explained that no stakeholders were engaged before the hike, and all parties, including manufacturers, have unanimously rejected the increase. “The negotiation is still ongoing. Let’s have a talk with all stakeholders involved; that’s the position of all stakeholders,” he added.

In her address, the NSAN Secretary General, Ijeoma Ezeasor, said the association made its position clear to regulators and operators, stressing that the charges were unacceptable to cargo owners and industry players.

“We are rejecting it, and if at the end of this meeting the port charges are not reversed, we as stakeholders will go into meetings and address the public going forward. The opposition to the charges cut across the industry; every one of the stakeholders, including freight forwarders, rejected the charges,” Ezeasor noted.