Ibom Deep Seaport: MMI Demands FG Funding, Construction Timeline

The Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio (MMI) has called on the Federal Government to demonstrate greater commitment to the Ibom Deep Seaport project, saying Nigeria needs to expand its maritime infrastructure beyond the Lagos axis.

In a statement signed by its International Public Relations Officer, Akparawa (Pst.) Idongesit Ikono, on September 28, 2026, the organisation said the project should move from planning to actual construction.

The demand comes days after the Federal Government witnessed the signing of agreements between the Ogun State Government and DP World for the development of the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone.

According to the Presidency, the Ogun projects are expected to attract an initial investment of more than $7 billion and create over 50,000 direct jobs when fully developed. The proposed port will have a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft.

MMI contrasted the Ogun development with the £746 million financing agreement secured for the modernisation of the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, and Tin Can Island Port.

The UK Export Finance-backed facility is intended to support the refurbishment and modernisation of the two Lagos ports, with the Nigerian government and the Nigerian Ports Authority involved in the arrangement.

MMI said it welcomed investments in other parts of Nigeria but argued that greater attention should also be given to the proposed Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State.

The group described the seaport as a potential strategic maritime gateway for the South-South and South-East regions and argued that additional functional ports could help reduce pressure on Lagos.

The organisation said concentrating a large proportion of Nigeria’s maritime activities around Lagos contributes to congestion and higher logistics costs.

However, available project records show that the Ibom Deep Seaport has progressed beyond the stage of a purely conceptual proposal.

The Akwa Ibom State Government’s project status page says Federal Government approval has been obtained, 14,400 hectares have been acquired for the wider project, an Environmental Impact Assessment has been completed, and 5,129 hectares have been acquired and surveyed for the deep seaport.

The same project record says a Free Trade Zone licence has been granted, preliminary technical studies have been conducted, the Outline Business Case has been approved by the Federal Government, and the project is currently at the Full Business Case and procurement stage.

There has also been fresh activity around the project in 2026.

In June, Governor Umo Eno led a technical engagement with Africa Global Logistics (AGL) in Paris, where officials reviewed a technical feasibility report prepared by Worley Parsons and discussed investment, implementation and long-term sustainability.

Following the Paris meeting, the state’s technical committee visited the proposed port area with consultants and officials to assess accessibility requirements arising from projected port traffic.

The developments provide some basis for MMI’s demand for clearer implementation milestones, although the evidence indicates that work on the project has continued at the feasibility, investment-structuring and procurement stages rather than full-scale port construction.

MMI also called for the accelerated completion of the East-West Road and the Calabar-Itu Highway, describing the roads as important infrastructure for the eventual operation of the seaport.

The Calabar-Itu corridor remains a significant regional transport route linking Cross River, Akwa Ibom and the wider South-East and South-South economies. Stakeholders have continued to complain about delays on the highway in 2026.

MMI specifically raised concern about the reported scaling down of the Oron-Calabar section from dual carriageway to single carriageway. That scaling-down decision has indeed been documented in federal records, although the relevant federal explanation dates back several years and cited funding constraints.

The organisation also wants the Akwa Ibom State Government to provide a public update on the outcome of its engagement with potential investors and technical partners in France.

The state government has already publicly confirmed that the June Paris meeting took place and that the discussions involved AGL and other project partners.

MMI said the Ibom Deep Seaport should not become an election-season promise or remain a recurring political talking point.

It demanded immediate financial commitment, a definite construction timetable and clearly defined milestones for the project.

The group further urged the Federal Government to pursue what it described as a balanced national port policy, arguing that developing multiple maritime gateways would strengthen trade, logistics and regional economic integration.

The debate comes as Nigeria simultaneously pursues the modernisation of existing Lagos ports and the development of new deep-sea port infrastructure elsewhere.

While the Federal Government has committed major financing to Apapa and Tin Can Island and supported the Ogun-DP World investment framework, the Ibom project remains at the business-case and procurement stage, according to the Akwa Ibom government’s latest published project status.