President Bola Tinubu has announced his approval of the long-awaited Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State.

He made the declaration on Friday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential rally at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

The announcement followed a direct appeal from Governor Umo Eno, who asked the President in his welcome address to back the project. Eno pledged that the state would deliver two million votes for Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 if the Federal Government approved and delivered the seaport. He described the port as capable of unlocking the economy of the state, the South-South region and the country at large.

Responding, the President addressed the governor as his friend and pastor and said the request had been heard on behalf of the people and leadership of Akwa Ibom. “Your request for the Ibom Deep Sea Port is hereby approved,” he declared, adding that the port would bring economic value and development to the people.

He also said he had approved the request to upgrade the Victor Attah International Airport to international status, and assured the crowd that his administration would work to make the seaport possible.

Earlier in the day, Tinubu commissioned the new terminal building at the Victor Attah International Airport, Ring Road 3 linking Idoro Road to Ikot Ekpene Road through Uyo and Ibiono Ibom, and the Arise Palm Resort. Eno said at a reception that he felt fulfilled by the approvals and credited them to continuity and purposeful leadership.

The announcement has drawn mixed reactions online, with some Nigerians questioning why a major port approval was made at a campaign rally rather than at a Federal Executive Council meeting. Others pointed out that the project is not new.

The Federal Executive Council, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, approved the Ibom Deep Seaport on 16 December 2020. That approval covered the full business case and a first phase estimated at about $2 billion of a total $4.6 billion project, structured as a 60/40 split between private and public sector funding.

State officials at the time said it completed the federal approvals required to begin construction, since port development falls under the Exclusive Legislative List.

The project dates back to the administration of former Governor Victor Attah, when it was conceived as the Ibaka Deep Seaport and Industrial City, and has remained unrealised for decades. It was rebranded Ibom Deep Seaport in 2021.

Tinubu made a similar promise at his 2023 campaign rally in the same stadium, citing the Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos as a model. Reports of Friday’s announcement did not give details on funding, a timeline or a groundbreaking date.