NTC to Regulate Transport Modes

 Ms Bolanle Onagoruwa, acting director-general of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has explained that the proposed National Transport Commission (NTC), is envisaged to be the economic regulator for the transport modes of roads, rail, air and marine.
According to her, the NTC Bill provides that the NTC will monitor and approve tariffs set by public and private transport service operators and operators of prescribed goods and services. It will also examine and resolve complaints, objections and disputes between Government agencies in the regulated transport industry on the one hand and concessionaires, licensed operators, users, shippers and consumers or any other person involved in the regulated transport industry on the other hand, using such dispute-resolution methods as the Commission may determine from time to time including mediation and arbitration.
Onagoruwa noted that while each of the agencies in the different modes, that is, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Inland Waterways (NIWA), Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and others will continue to perform technical regulatory functions as landlords, the NTC will have oversight functions over their technical regulation.
The BPE boss added that the privatization agency has completed work on the Railway Bill, the Road Sector Reform Bill, the Inland Waterways Bill, and the Ports and Harbour Bill.
She recalled that the NTC Bill is a direct product of the Transport Sector Reform Implementation Committee (TSRC) of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) which was inaugurated in September 2000 under the chairmanship of the Transport Minister with membership drawn from key stakeholders and representatives of all the agencies in the transport sector.
The Bill “has derived strength from reports of many seasoned consultants and given validity and richness through the intensive stakeholders’ interfaces”, she said.
According to her, when established, the NTC will perform roles similar to those of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for the telecoms sector and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for the electric power sector.
The NTC Bill will establish the National Transport Commission as a corporate entity and an independent sector transport industry regulator. Among the functions of the commission will be to, create an economic regulatory framework for the provision of transport services and facilities which promote and safeguard competition; facilitate effective competition, promote competitive market conduct and ensure that the misuse of monopoly or non-transitory market power is prevented. It will also promote the financial viability of the regulated transport industry and related services,  and facilitate incentive for efficient long-term investment in Nigeria  for the provision of transport services and facilities.
The NTC shall be vested with powers to develop and monitor performance standards and indices relating to the quality of transport services and facilities provided to users, shippers and consumers in Nigeria having regard to best international performance indicators. It will also have the power to approve the presence of and monitor the activities of any Government agency so permitted to operate at ports, airports, rail and road stations and terminals.
It will enforce economic and technical regulatory provisions of all relevant legislation on the regulated transport industry including but not limited to legislation on ports, inland waterways, aviation, road and rail transport; and introduce guidelines, standards and regulations in respect of safety issues to be complied with by all Transport Operators.
The Federal Executive Council, mindful of the central and overriding role of the NTC in the whole reform process, is presently finalising the NTC Bill alongside other Reform Bills for transmission to the National Assembly for passage into law.