President Bola Tinubu on Friday approved the much-anticipated Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State, ending decades of waiting for a project that has featured in successive presidential campaigns but never materialised.
The President announced the approval in Uyo while responding to a request by Governor Umo Eno at a reception and rally held in his honour at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. Tinubu was in the state to inaugurate projects executed by the Eno administration.
Speaking at the event, the President emphasised that the project must deliver inclusive growth and real economic value to the people. He recounted how the governor, whom he described as his friend and pastor, had conveyed the request on behalf of the people and leadership of Akwa Ibom.
After repeating the request to the crowd, Tinubu asked, “Will you vote?” and then declared, “Okay, it’s approved,” drawing a thunderous response from the stadium.
The approval came on the heels of a pledge by Governor Eno that Akwa Ibom would deliver two million votes for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 if the Federal Government delivered the seaport. Eno described the facility as the most important economic demand of the people of the state, saying it is capable of unlocking the economy of Akwa Ibom, the South-South region and Nigeria at large.
He said the seaport would transform the state’s maritime, industrial and employment landscape, serve as a major transhipment hub, create thousands of jobs and open Akwa Ibom to international trade and investment.
The governor recalled that the project, conceived during the administration of former Governor Victor Attah as the Ibaka Deep Seaport and Industrial City, had remained unrealised for decades despite featuring in successive presidential campaigns. He noted that the people of Akwa Ibom had remained loyal to Tinubu since 2023 and were now asking him to fulfil his promise to build the facility.
Tinubu had, during his 2023 presidential campaign rally at the same stadium, promised to build the deep seaport, citing the Lekki Deep Seaport, developed during his tenure as Lagos State governor, as an example of what he hoped to achieve in Akwa Ibom.
Eno also said Akwa Ibom had aligned with the Federal Government by joining the All Progressives Congress to attract greater federal presence and development, assuring the President that the state would mobilise support for his re-election in 2027, with the seaport expected to be a major dividend of his administration.
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