President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted approval for the long-awaited Ibom Deep Seaport project in Akwa Ibom State. The announcement came during a grand reception and rally held in the President’s honour at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, where economic development directly intersected with 2027 re-election arithmetic.

The presidential nod followed a explicit proposition by Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, who promised to deliver two million votes for Tinubu’s 2027 presidential bid in exchange for the maritime hub.

“Give us Ibom Deep Seaport, we will deliver two million votes,” Governor Eno pledged before the crowd, framing the project as a non-negotiable economic lifeline for the state and the South-South region.

Tinubu took the stage shortly after, repeating the governor’s request to the cheering audience: “Will you vote?” Upon receiving an enthusiastic response, the President declared, “Okay, it’s approved.”

Tinubu defended the quick approval by stressing that federal development must be inclusive and value-driven. The commitment mirrors a pledge Tinubu made during his 2023 presidential campaign in the same stadium, where he held up Lagos State’s Lekki Deep Seaport, developed during his tenure as governor, as the blueprint for Akwa Ibom’s maritime future.

Related Stories

Conceived decades ago under former Governor Victor Attah as the Ibaka Deep Seaport and Industrial City, the project had languished across successive federal administrations despite recurring campaign promises. Governor Eno noted that aligning Akwa Ibom with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was a strategic move to secure long-overdue federal presence and transform the state into an international transshipment hub.

The Shadow of Cross River’s Neglected Bakassi Seaport

While Akwa Ibom celebrates its political bargain, the decision casts a long shadow over neighbouring Cross River State, whose own ambitious maritime ambitions, the Bakassi Deep Seaport, remain stalled in federal limbo.

Conceived during the administration of former Governor Ben Ayade, the proposed $3.5 billion Bakassi Deep Seaport near Calabar was designed to feature a 20-metre natural draft, positioning it as a major entry point capable of accommodating mother vessels and serving landlocked nations like Chad and Niger, as well as northern Nigeria. Paired with a planned 275-kilometre superhighway connecting Calabar to northern trade corridors, the Bakassi port was touted as a transformative game-changer for Cross River’s agrarian economy.

Despite securing initial federal steering committee approvals, outline business cases, and a headline $3.5 billion funding arrangement with Afreximbank, practical execution of the Bakassi Deep Seaport has suffered from chronic federal hesitation, bureaucratic delays, and regulatory bottlenecks. The existing Calabar Port continues to suffer from heavy siltation and shallow draft constraints, severely limiting commercial vessel traffic into Cross River.

By greenlighting the Ibom Deep Seaport in exchange for electoral guarantees in Akwa Ibom, critics argue the Federal Government has prioritized short-term political alignment over a balanced regional maritime strategy, effectively leaving Cross River State’s Bakassi project waiting on the sidelines once again.