President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has officially approved the Ibom Deep Seaport project and renewed his administration’s commitment to its immediate actualization, telling the people of Akwa Ibom State that the project will bring real, tangible and lasting economic value, prosperity and industrial growth to the state and the Niger Delta region at large.

The President gave the historic assurance and presidential approval on Friday during his highly anticipated working visit to Akwa Ibom State, where he was in the state to commission several signature infrastructure projects delivered by the administration of Governor Umo Eno under the ARISE Agenda development blueprint of the state government.

President Tinubu, who made the declaration while addressing a mammoth crowd of Akwa Ibom people at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo during the All Progressives Congress, APC, mega rally organized in his honour, said the time has come for the Ibom Deep Seaport to move from decades of paperwork, promises and expectations to physical reality and operation.

According to the President, his administration has carefully evaluated the strategic importance, economic viability and national significance of the Ibom Deep Seaport and has come to the conclusion that it is a project that must happen, considering its potential to unlock the economic potentials of Akwa Ibom and reduce pressure on the western ports in Lagos State.

He explained that the approval for the Ibom Deep Seaport is part of his Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at decentralizing port operations in the country, promoting balanced economic development across the six geopolitical zones, enhancing maritime trade and positioning Nigeria as a major maritime hub in West Africa and the entire Gulf of Guinea.

President Tinubu stated that a deep seaport in Akwa Ibom State would give the state its own independent, direct and efficient route for international trade, shipping, import and export activities, thereby eliminating the need for businesses and industrialists in the South-South and South-East to depend solely on Lagos ports for their maritime transactions.

He noted that with its natural draft of over 18 metres at Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area, the Ibom Deep Seaport has the deepest natural berth in Nigeria and can comfortably accommodate very large vessels, mother ships and Post-Panamax vessels that currently cannot berth in any other port in the country due to depth limitations.

The President further emphasized that the deep seaport would create massive employment opportunities for the teeming youths of Akwa Ibom State, generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, empower small and medium scale enterprises around the port corridor and drastically reduce youth restiveness, unemployment and economic migration from the state.

He maintained that the project would also open the door to unprecedented domestic and foreign direct investment, as it would attract shipping companies, logistics firms, manufacturing industries, oil and gas servicing companies, agro-allied industries and export processing zones that would leverage the port for their operations and international market access.

President Tinubu said many people in Akwa Ibom have waited for a very long time, spanning over twenty years, for the realization of the Ibom Deep Seaport dream, and that his administration is determined to end the long wait by putting the project back at the front of the conversation and ensuring that necessary presidential approvals are granted without further delay.

The President disclosed that he has formally approved the Ibom Deep Seaport and has issued clear directives to all relevant federal ministries, departments and agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and the Federal Ministry of Finance, to fast-track all processes.

He said he has instructed that all outstanding licenses, concessions, regulatory approvals and other bureaucratic requirements should be concluded within the shortest possible time, to pave the way for the mobilization of the preferred bidder and other technical partners to site for the immediate commencement of construction works on the port.

President Tinubu commended Governor Umo Eno for his visionary leadership, commitment to infrastructure development and passionate advocacy for the Ibom Deep Seaport, noting that the Governor’s presentation at the mega rally and his earlier inspection of projects billed for commissioning showed a leader who is genuinely concerned about the economic future of his people.

He also praised Governor Eno for delivering key projects that have direct impact on the lives of Akwa Ibom people, including the new International Terminal Building at Victor Attah International Airport, which he commissioned earlier in the day, the ARISE Palm Resort, Ring Road 3 and the 14.5-kilometre Nsit Atai – Okobo Road, describing them as world-class projects.

The President assured that the federal government will continue to support Akwa Ibom State Government in its developmental drive, noting that the synergy between the state and the federal government under the Renewed Hope Agenda is yielding positive results and will bring more federal presence, projects and appointments to the state in the coming months and years.

Governor Umo Eno, who had earlier appealed to the President to approve the Ibom Deep Seaport and pledged two million votes for the President’s re-election bid in 2027, expressed profound gratitude to President Tinubu for granting the approval, describing it as the most significant and cheering news that Akwa Ibom people have received from the federal government.

The Governor said the presidential approval for the Ibom Deep Seaport will be a major catalyst for industrialization, as it will complement the aviation gateway already established with the Victor Attah International Airport and create a seamless multimodal transportation system that combines air, sea and road for rapid economic growth and competitiveness of the state.

The President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, who was present at the rally, also lauded President Tinubu for approving the Ibom Deep Seaport, describing the decision as bold, visionary and historic, and one that will forever be remembered as the moment Akwa Ibom’s economic destiny changed for the better under the Tinubu administration.

Meanwhile, the announcement of the approval of the Ibom Deep Seaport has generated widespread jubilation, excitement, celebration and commendations across Akwa Ibom State and beyond, with stakeholders, traditional rulers, youth leaders, women groups, civil society organizations and members of the organized private sector hailing President Tinubu for listening to the yearnings of the people.

Thousands of residents, party faithful and supporters who thronged the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium for the mega rally were still celebrating the presidential approval, with many expressing optimism that the Ibom Deep Seaport, once completed, will transform Akwa Ibom into a major economic powerhouse, maritime hub and investment destination in Africa.