BusinessDay reported that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the Ibom Deep Seaport had been approved after Akwa Ibom Gov. Umo Eno pledged two million votes for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election if the project received federal backing.
The exchange took place Friday, Nov. 6, at a rally in Uyo. BusinessDay said Eno urged the federal government to advance the port proposal and made the vote pledge. Tinubu asked the crowd about its support, then replied, “Okay, it’s approved,” the outlet reported.
Eno said the port could connect Akwa Ibom more directly with international commerce and help attract investment and create jobs in the state and the South-South region. He also said Akwa Ibom’s decision to join the All Progressives Congress was intended to strengthen ties with the federal government and attract more public investment.
Eno traced the proposal to the Ibaka Deep Seaport and Industrial City concept under former Gov. Victor Attah. He said the port had appeared in multiple presidential campaigns over the years without being completed. BusinessDay also reported that Tinubu, during a 2023 campaign stop at the stadium, pledged to support a deep-seaport project in Akwa Ibom and cited Lagos’ Lekki Deep Seaport as an example.
Earlier EconoTimes coverage of the Ibom Deep Sea Port cited an undated status page that listed federal approval and a completed environmental impact assessment, with the Full Business Case and procurement among its phases. The two accounts do not establish whether Tinubu was referring to the approval listed there or another stage. BusinessDay gave no construction date, project cost or financing plan.
