How Umo Eno Spearheading Akwa Ibom’s Maritime Growth

How Umo Eno spearheading Akwa Ibom’s Maritime growth. Seaports are important centres of international trade activities. They help to connect and transport goods between countries. They serve as gateways for vessels, boats, and ships, facilitates onward journey to their destinations and above all, generate revenue as well as open up job opportunities.

All over the nooks and crannies of Akwa Ibom State, the people are openly testifying to the impactful leadership, pronounced testament of democratic dividends by Governor Umo Bassey Eno’s goodwill and bold footprint in governance.

His thoughts and actions navigate full frequency of peace, unity and development, which he unarguably symbolises.

Predictably, before the first two years of his 2nd term, Akwa Ibom State will make history as one of the States in Nigeria with the highest employers of labour, taking into consideration the Governor’s huge investment and effort towards ensuring sustainable development with intensified lobby for the realization of the Ibom Deep Sea Port.

The port, has some unique advantages: geographically located in the Atlantic Coast of Akwa Ibom state, which has the longest shoreline in Nigeria; natural depth of over 18 meters, making it one of the deepest ports in Nigeria, suitable for ferrying large cargo vessels. This is not the case, as other ports depend on dredging to harbour large cargoes.

Moreover, an integrated development masterplan include the proposed Ibom Industrial City designed to have 10 terminals in its first phase.

On the implementation boardroom are consortiums as Global Maritime and Port Services, the advising/consulting company, Dar Al-Handasah as Master Planner with China Harbour and Engineering Company as partner.

It is expected that the Ibom Deep Sea Port will propel the launch of the state and country into a robust regime of international trade, expand the nation’s investment net to harness benefits in the blue economy and reduce burdens experienced by importers and exporters in Lagos, as a result of logistical challenges and gridlock, common at the Apapa and Badagry Seaports in Lagos, and other Seaport in Rivers State.

Unlike regular ports, which cater to recreational or smaller commercial activities within 15-17 feets of water depth, the engineering design of IDSP guarantees a very large and heavily laden ships.

The Ibom Deep Sea Port being developed by Akwa Ibom state government through a public-private partnership (PPP) at about $4.2 billion is expected to generate around 300,000 jobs once completed.

While some are arguing on the suitability of Umo Eno’s government aligning with the opposition party at the centre for the actualization of the project, It is worthwhile to know that, according to operational statistics, the Lagos ports with an installed capacity of 60 million metric tons per annum are over-stretched already.

Today, they are forced to handle over 100 million metric tons per annum, with car imports accounting for the larger bulk.

These, and many other challenges further gives credence for Akwa Ibom’s first Deep Sea Port to come on board as it will serve as a pivotal hub, bolstering commercial activities of the South-South, South-East region and other regions of Nigeria at large.

It is worth restating more than others, that Ibom Deep seaport is Nigeria’s gateway to the Gulf of Guinea, with attendant trade exchange from Sao Tome, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Angola, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Americas coming handy

Inspired to realize this long dream , Pastor Umo Eno, on Friday, 28th February,2025, led a high-powered delegation of Akwa Ibom stakeholders, including traditional rulers, political leaders, and business representatives to meet with Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, alongside the opposition party’s appealing for support from the president for the development of the Ibom Deep Sea Port as well as federal government intervention in key infrastructural projects critical to the state’s development.

Pastor Eno, said “No state government can build a deep sea port alone. We need the federal government’s support to make this a reality. The Ibom Deep Sea Port has the potential to transform not just Akwa Ibom but the entire country by expanding our maritime economy, creating jobs, and reducing pressure on existing ports in Lagos and Rivers State,”.

Having evaluated potentials surrounding Akwa Ibom marine ecosystems, and to tackle the menace of unemployment, Governor Eno has sponsored many Akwa Ibomites to obtain professional skills and training in courses that are related to the maritime sector as well as in the oil and gas industry.

Maritime Growth

Ibom Deep Sea Port will significantly generate multiple job opportunities, directly and indirectly, from dock workers, logistics and supply chain professionals. The ripple effect extends to ancillary industries, including shipping, freight forwarding, and numerous service sectors, contributing positively to job creation and economic stability.

Without a doubt, IDSP will play crucial role in economic and strategic interests, solidify Akwa Ibom’s position in the global maritime domain and, redefine cross-cultural relationships.

As conspicuously captured in his ARISE Agenda, Pastor Umo Eno has revalidated his genuine vision for the actualization of Ibom Deep Sea Port which he sees as a game changer for the state, the South-South region, and Nigeria’s economic growth.

Together, let’s rise and support this quest by our dear state to attain her deserving height in global blue economy.