The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, on Friday applauded the leadership of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), attributing the agency’s ongoing reforms and renewed institutional drive to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Dantsoho made the remarks after an interactive session between the management of the NPA and members of the Committee on Works, Transport and Aviation of the FCC, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

He described the meeting as fruitful and reaffirmed the NPA’s commitment to full compliance with the Federal Character principles.

The NPA boss said he was impressed by the cordial reception, the quality of engagement and the openness that characterised the discussions, adding that they reflected a new era of transparency, accountability and institutional reforms within the commission.

“I was very impressed by the convivial atmosphere, the warm reception and the quality of discussions. I commend the transformative leadership at the commission and give credit for these positive developments to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Dantsoho said.

He stressed that effective collaborations among government institutions remained critical to achieving sustainable national development.

According to him, strict adherence to established laws, regulations and government policies would strengthen public institutions and improve service delivery.

“Everybody should come to the reality that we cannot make meaningful progress without collaboration, partnership and ensuring that laid-down rules, regulations and policies are complied with to the letter,” he said.

Dantsoho expressed confidence that the partnership between the NPA and the FCC would further strengthen institutional governance and contribute to national development.

The NPA chief also highlighted the strategic importance of the Authority, noting that it had remained one of Nigeria’s oldest public institutions for more than seven decades.

He recalled that the Nigerian Navy was once part of the NPA, while the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency evolved from a department within the authority before becoming a separate agency.

According to him, the NPA manages ports in Port Harcourt, Warri, Calabar, Onne, Tin Can Island, Apapa and Lekki, with responsibility for ensuring the safe and efficient handling of international vessels and maintaining port infrastructure.

He noted that Nigerian ports compete with neighbouring ports in Cotonou, Lomé, Ghana and Abidjan for cargo traffic, stressing that improving competitiveness would encourage importers to route cargo directly through Nigerian ports, thereby increasing government revenue.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Committee on Works, Transport and Aviation of the FCC, Hon. Peter Eze, commended the NPA management for its commitment to collaboration and compliance with the commission’s mandate.

Eze, who is the Federal Commissioner representing Enugu State at the commission, disclosed that the NPA had been fully briefed on the commission’s new compliance framework, revised operational guidelines and sanctions for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) found to have violated the Federal Character Act.

He said the engagement was designed to assess the NPA’s level of compliance while strengthening cooperation to promote fairness, equity and inclusiveness in the public service.

“The essence of this engagement is to evaluate the performance of the Federal Character Commission’s mandate and to ensure that, going forward, there is no room for non-compliance with the Federal Character principles,” Eze said.

He added that the commission had introduced stricter monitoring mechanisms and tougher penalties to ensure full compliance with the Federal Character principles across government institutions.

“The major takeaway is that, they were appropriately briefed on what they did not know about the new reforms of the FCC under the leadership of the Executive Chairman, Hon. Hulayat Motunrayo Omidiran.

“They have been informed about our new rules, the penalties for violations and the measures we will take against any MDA that goes against the commission’s mandate,” he added.

Expressing confidence in the NPA leadership, Eze commended the Managing Director for his contributions to the growth of the Authority, noting that the agency had made significant progress under his watch.

He said he was optimistic that the NPA would fully align with the FCC’s mandate, adding that closer collaborations between both institutions would strengthen good governance and promote national unity.

“We are confident that we are going to collaborate very well and make this country a better place,” Eze stated.