A’Ibom seeks Tinubu’s support for deep seaport

The Akwa-Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, on Wednesday, sought the Federal Government’s support to fully implement the Ibom Deep Seaport project.

Eno argued that Nigeria’s South-South needs a seaport serving its population even as he described other seaports, especially that of Lagos, as “congested”.

“We’ve talked and requested him to support us with our Ibom deep seaport,” Eno told State House correspondents after he emerged from closed-door talks with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

The Ibom Deep Seaport, located in the South-East of Akwa Ibom State, is planned to be a deep-water facility built on a natural draft of about 17.5 metres, one of the deepest in the region.

Experts say the depth is a key feature that allows it to accommodate large vessels and handle a variety of cargo, including containers, dry bulk and liquid cargo.

The IDSP will be owned by the Federal Government through the Nigeria Ports Authority in partnership with Akwa Ibom State Government and private investors.

Although the Federal Executive Council approved the Outline Business Case for the Public-Private Partnership project in May 2015, it remains uncompleted nearly a decade later.

However, the immediate past Udom Emmanuel administration said it had midwifed critical stages of the project’s development.

Making a case for the project, Eno said, “Ibom deep seaport has the deepest wharf that will bring in the ship and we can ship from that point.

“Again, Lagos is there. But you know Lagos is congested, that is no story. So, you need a deep seaport that will take care of the South-East, South-South, if you like, the Niger Delta region.”

The governor also discussed plans for the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul of some sections of the Akwa Ibom International Airport, Uyo.

However, he said the President had asked him to return with a memo requesting the Federal Government’s assistance in upgrading the facility.

“The President has graciously granted that I bring the memo to the request and including MRO. The President is a businessman, he had to also ask, are we making profits running Ibom Air?

“I told him the government is completely out of the running of Ibom Air. Ibom Air is making a profit and they are ploughing it back for expansion and the airport facility, the second taxiway is on, we have the new terminal, and we have the MRO and he was pleased to hear that.

“We need to partner with the Federal Government, of course, to get work going in the state. Akwa Ibom is part of Nigeria. He (Tinubu) is the President of Nigeria; he needs to know how one of his component states is doing. I just came for normal briefing though,” he explained.

Eno also sought the President’s support on plans to revamp the oil palm sector of his state which, he said, had been moribund for nearly three decades.

He explained, “We’ve talked and requested him to support us with our agricultural programme on the oil palm. Akwa Ibom is an oil palm zone. And we have started the process of revamping the moribund industry that has been there for 28 years.

“We need the support of the Federal Government to be able to have a full value chain and then bring people to work and be able to help Nigeria.

“We can even get to exporting palm oil because right now, we’re still importing a lot of it. So that’s why I came and it was a good visit.”

Tuesday’s visit is Eno’s second private audience with the President since assuming office in May 2023. At the June 8 encounter, Eno of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party was accompanied by his Plateau State counterpart, Caleb Muftwang, who is also from the same party.