NPA Brings Dala, Funtua Inland Dry Ports Onboard as Dantsoho Hosts Hassan Bello, Others in Lagos
Managing Director of NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho (middle) former Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, and Executive Director, Dala Inland Dry Port Barr Hassan Bello (right) and head of the Funtua Inland Dry Ports delegation at the Mariner Lagos headquarters of NPA.
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has opened a new chapter in its relationship with the country’s inland dry ports, hosting the management of Dala Inland Dry Port and representatives of Funtua Inland Dry Port at its corporate headquarters in Marina, Lagos.
The Managing Director of the NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, received the Executive Director of Dala Inland Dry Port, Mr. Hassan Bello, and the Funtua delegation on Thursday.
The visit was a familiarisation exercise following the transition of inland dry ports under the NPA’s purview.
According to the Authority, the meeting centred on deepening collaboration between the NPA and the dry ports, streamlining operations and improving the ease of doing business across Nigeria’s maritime logistics network.
The visit follows the Federal Government’s directive, announced on September 3 by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, transferring the inland dry port functions of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to the NPA.
The move is also part of a wider restructuring of the port sector after the enactment of the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Act, 2026, which will transform the Shippers’ Council into the substantive port economic regulator.
The Minister said the transfer was meant to create a clear separation between port economic regulation, development and operations.
Dantsoho has since presented the new arrangement as a boost for hinterland trade. Speaking at the NPA Special Day at the 21st Abuja International Trade Fair, he said bringing inland dry ports under the Authority would spare exporters in northern and central Nigeria from moving raw commodities to the coastal ports before clearance and documentation.
DAILY TREND however reports that Barrister Hassan Bello’s presence carries particular weight. As Executive Secretary of the Shippers’ Council, he championed the inland dry port programme for years and was closely associated with the Kano-based Dala project, which was designed as a multimodal facility with rail access.
His move to the helm of Dala has now brought him face to face with the Authority that has taken over the supervision of such facilities.
The NPA and NPERA recently agreed to strengthen inter-agency collaboration to ensure a smooth transition, with a committee set up to resolve operational conflicts, streamline administrative procedures and remove duplication of roles across the dry ports.
