President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made the official pronouncement approving the development of the long-awaited Ibom Deep Seaport project along with international status for the Victor Attah International Airport during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Addressing a crowd of supporters and delegates, the President affirmed the project’s strategic priority to national maritime trade, directly answering public calls from state leadership and residents by approving its execution to unlock massive industrial opportunities.
The announcement was met with spontaneous jubilation and widespread enthusiasm across Akwa Ibom State.
Residents, political stakeholders, business owners, and youth organizations expressed overwhelming delight, describing the approval as a historic victory for the state’s economic liberation and a major breakthrough for the Niger Delta region. The populace hailed the milestone as a direct fulfillment of Governor Pastor Umo Eno’s advocacy under the state’s ARISE Agenda, praising both the state and federal leadership for placing regional commerce and job creation above political lines.
The project’s actualization follows sustained high-level engagements by Governor Umo Eno, who had consistently led delegations to meet federal regulators and global technical partners, including investors in Paris, demanding firm execution timelines, definitive milestones, and executive intervention to move the mega-infrastructure from paper plans into physical construction.
Situated across 14,000 hectares in the Ibaka and Ibeno coastal corridor, the Ibom Deep Seaport features a natural draft exceeding 17 meters without requiring extensive maintenance dredging, enabling it to host post-Panamax container ships.
Prior to this milestone, the Akwa Ibom State Government secured land acquisition, Certificate of Occupancy documentation, Environmental Impact Assessments, and finalized layout plans for an adjoining Free Trade Zone industrial city to serve West and Central Africa.
With executive approval granted, stakeholders expect swift progress on concession agreements under a Public-Private Partnership framework, paving the way for site mobilization, breakwater and quay wall construction, and integrated rail and road links.
Once operational, the transshipment hub is expected to decongest Western ports, drive regional maritime traffic, and create over 300,000 direct and indirect jobs.
