President Bola Tinubu has approved the long-awaited Ibom Deep Seaport project in Akwa Ibom State following a request by Governor Umo Eno.
Tinubu announced the approval on Friday while responding to the governor during a reception and rally held in his honour at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
The President, who was in the state to inaugurate projects executed by the Eno administration, said development must promote inclusiveness, create economic value and improve the lives of the people.
“Now, development must be even inclusive and reasonable, must bring progress and create economic value. I heard from my friend, my governor, my pastor, on behalf of the people and leadership of Akwa Ibom, request for Ibom’s deep-sea port,” Tinubu said.
After restating the request, the President asked the crowd, “Will you vote?”
He subsequently declared, “Okay, it’s approved.”
The announcement followed a pledge by Eno that Akwa Ibom State would deliver two million votes for Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 if the Federal Government approved the seaport project.
The governor described the facility as the most important economic demand of the people of Akwa Ibom, arguing that it would transform the state’s maritime, industrial and employment sectors.
Eno said the people of the state had remained loyal to Tinubu since 2023 and were seeking the fulfilment of his earlier promise to establish the deep seaport.
During his 2023 presidential campaign rally at the same stadium, Tinubu had promised to build the facility, citing the Lekki Deep Sea Port, developed during his tenure as Lagos State governor, as an example of the kind of infrastructure project he hoped to deliver in Akwa Ibom.
Eno also recalled that the project, initially conceived as the Ibaka Deep Seaport and Industrial City during the administration of former Governor Victor Attah, had remained unrealised for decades despite featuring in successive presidential campaigns.
The presidential approval marks a significant development in the state’s longstanding efforts to establish a deep seaport, although further details on its implementation, funding and construction timeline are yet to be announced.
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