President Bola Tinubu has approved the proposed Ibom Deep Seaport and granted international airport status to the Victor Attah International Airport in Akwa Ibom State.
The President announced the approvals on Friday in Uyo while addressing residents at a rally held in his honour at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
The announcement followed a request by Governor Umo Eno, who said the seaport would unlock the economy of the state, the South-South region and Nigeria at large.
Eno presented the seaport as the next stage of Akwa Ibom’s development, following Tinubu’s approval of international operations at the state’s airport.
“Give us the Ibom Deep Seaport, and we will deliver two million votes,” the governor said, describing the project as capable of unlocking the economies of Akwa Ibom, the South-South region and Nigeria more broadly.
Tinubu responded before the rally crowd: “Ibom Deep-Sea Port. It’s approved.”
The President’s approval has now turned a project the state has long sought into a federal government commitment.
However, it remains unclear when the project will begin, how it will be funded and how it will be implemented.
Governor Eno argued that the port’s natural 19-metre depth would eliminate the need for dredging, positioning it as an unusually competitive maritime asset.
He said the facility could expand Nigeria’s shipping capacity, facilitate international trade, support industrial development, attract foreign investment and generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
For Akwa Ibom, the project represents more than a transport hub.
A working deep-sea port could help Akwa Ibom become a major centre for transport and factories, and also give the federal government a clear economic success in an important oil-producing state.
Governor Eno’s promise was also supported by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom and a key leader of the APC in the state.
Akpabio also promised that the state would deliver more than two million votes for Tinubu, underscoring the political weight behind the port request.
The Governor sought to dispel suggestions that the rally’s turnout was staged, saying the crowd reflected APC support across Akwa Ibom rather than a limited mobilisation.
He credited the party’s growing strength to Akpabio’s leadership and the state’s relationship with the Tinubu administration.
Eno also highlighted federal projects he said were reshaping the state’s economic outlook, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which he said would better connect Akwa Ibom with the rest of Nigeria.
He cited N5.8 billion disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to more than 43,000 students in the state, as well as the approval of a Federal University of Agriculture.
At the state level, the governor said every local government area had received at least 10 kilometres of road, a model healthcare centre and a model primary school, alongside other public projects.
He added that his administration was working to develop Akwa Ibom as a tourism destination.
The approval gives Tinubu an early political dividend in Akwa Ibom ahead of the 2027 election cycle, while placing the burden of delivery on the federal government.
