Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has received the feasibility report for the Ibom Deep Seaport and said his administration remains committed to bringing the long-delayed project to reality. He spoke on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Uyo, during the presentation of the report by the project’s technical committee.
The governor described the report as a major step in the state’s push to advance the seaport project, which has been in view for more than two decades. He commended the committee for what he called detailed and professional work on the assignment.
Committee chairman Mfon Usoro, a maritime lawyer and former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, said the seaport is expected to support economic growth, expand Nigeria’s port capacity and improve ease of doing business through a Public-Private Partnership model. She said the project is also designed to support industrialisation through integration with the Ibom Industrial City and could serve as a major transshipment hub in the region.
Eno said the project should not be politicised and paid tribute to past leaders who contributed to its foundation, including former governor Victor Attah, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former governor Udom Emmanuel. He described deep seaport development as a long-term undertaking that requires continuity and focus.
The governor said his administration has taken several steps to move the project forward. According to him, these include funding a full feasibility study, preparing investor fact sheets, building access roads, carrying out geophysical and geotechnical studies and establishing a project office in the state. He also linked the seaport plan to wider investments in transport infrastructure, including roads, aviation and maritime facilities.
He said the government had moved all aspects of the project to the front burner in order to define the work ahead and set timelines. He also asked the committee to deepen engagement with investors and the public, saying the success of the project would benefit the state as a whole.
Eno further directed the Commissioner for Special Duties to develop training initiatives for young people so the state can prepare a skilled workforce for the construction phase and future operations.
Usoro listed milestones already recorded on the project, including the engagement of programme managers, appointment of global transaction advisers, completion of feasibility studies, due diligence, financial modelling and an international bidding process that produced preferred bidders. She said priority phases of the project include core infrastructure such as container terminals, breakwaters and Navy berths.
She also identified other pending activities to include Front-End Engineering Design, market and financial studies, port access road construction, investment roadshows, marketing of the Ibom Industrial City, land acquisition, regularisation of Free Trade Zone licences with the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority, and renewed engagement with the Nigerian Ports Authority on concession negotiations.
Usoro appealed for patience, saying port development is complex and often takes many years from conception to commissioning.
The event drew senior government officials, political leaders, former public office holders, local government chairmen and representatives of federal agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Finance Incorporated. Their presence reflected the multi-level collaboration being sought to move the Ibom Deep Seaport project forward.
