Obi promises to build Ibom Deep Seaport if he becomes president

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has promised to start building the Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State. This promise has brought new attention to a project that many Nigerian presidential candidates have talked about in their campaigns.

Mr Obi shared this promise in a Facebook post on Saturday. He made the announcement after visiting Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Friday. He attended a homecoming ceremony for Seriake Dickson, a senator and national leader of the NDC.

He said that if he becomes president, his government will work to improve ports in the Niger Delta. This includes ports in Warri, Port Harcourt, and Calabar. He also promised to start the construction of the Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom and build a new port in Bayelsa State.

“In Bayelsa, I pledged that we would begin efforts to upgrade ports throughout the Niger Delta, including those in Warri, Port Harcourt, and Calabar. We will also begin construction of the long-delayed Ibaka seaport in Akwa Ibom State and establish a new port in Bayelsa State to serve our riverine communities and the broader Niger Delta more effectively,” he wrote.

This promise is significant because the Ibom Deep Seaport, which was first called the Ibaka Deep Seaport and Industrial City, has not been built years after it was first planned. Mr Obi's pledge also puts him in the same conversation as President Bola Tinubu, who made a similar promise during his 2023 presidential campaign in Akwa Ibom.

During the All Progressives Congress campaign rally at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on 30 January 2023, Mr Tinubu told his supporters: “We will do mechanised farming. We will export food from Akwa Ibom. We will build your deep seaport.” He mentioned the Lekki Deep Seaport, which was built when he was the governor of Lagos, as proof of what he could achieve in Akwa Ibom.

After becoming president, Mr Tinubu continued to reassure people about the seaport. In January 2024, Governor Umo Eno said the president asked him to submit a request for federal government support for the project. Mr Eno shared this information after meeting Mr Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He had asked for the president's help with the seaport and the state's oil palm development plan.

In March 2026, the governor again confirmed the president’s promises. He said Mr Tinubu repeatedly told him in their talks: “I will give you the Ibom Deep Seaport.” Mr Eno added, “I hold on to that promise, and I know it shall come to pass.”

Mr Obi had also promised to develop the seaport during his 2023 presidential campaign. At a Labour Party rally in Uyo in December 2022, he said he would make sure the project happens if he is elected president. He called the long wait for the seaport unacceptable.

He later told journalists that Akwa Ibom is not asking for a favour by wanting the seaport. He believes it will give Nigeria a way to export goods and improve the country’s ability to produce.

In an interview with Vanguard in January 2023, Mr Obi said: “We are not doing Akwa Ibom a favour by developing the Deep Seaport; rather, Akwa Ibom is offering us a space to develop an export channel which I am going to develop.”

Former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, was the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the 2023 election. He campaigned in Uyo in October 2022 but focused on national issues like the economy, security, and unity, rather than a promise to build the Ibom Deep Seaport. He did promise to build a refinery in Akwa Ibom.

Atiku also promised in February 2023 to finish the deep seaport project in Bonny, Rivers State, if he became president. The Ibom Deep Seaport was planned during the time of former Akwa Ibom Governor Victor Attah. The goal was to create a major maritime and industrial hub along the state’s coast.

The proposed location is along the Atlantic Ocean in Mbo and Ibeno local government areas. It aims to provide access to international shipping routes and support trade, industry, and jobs. Despite many political promises, the project has not yet started.

Mr Obi's latest statement did not include details about when construction would begin, how it would be funded, or how it would be implemented. He also did not say if his promise is based on any approvals from federal maritime agencies.

In his Facebook post, Mr Obi promised to invest in healthcare and education, improve national security, fight corruption, and help lift Nigerians out of poverty.