WorldStage— President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday, November 13, 2026, flagged off the construction of the $3.5 billion Bakassi Deep Seaport in Ikang, Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State, describing the infrastructure project as a strategic national investment designed to expand maritime trade, attract industries, and create jobs across Nigeria.
Represented at the groundbreaking ceremony by Vice President Kashim Shettima, President Tinubu stated that the seaport represents a defining milestone in his administration’s economic diversification agenda and broader blue economy strategy.
He noted that the facility would open new commercial corridors, ease longstanding congestion at existing ports, particularly in Lagos, and position Nigeria to capture regional cargo traffic currently handled by neighbouring countries.
Calling the infrastructure a “poverty breaker,” Tinubu dismissed past political obstacles that had long delayed maritime development in the region, urging residents to safeguard the venture.
Initially conceived in 2014, the project advanced under Governor Bassey Edet Otu through a Public-Private Partnership and a $3.5 billion backing from Afreximbank.
Engineered with a 20-metre draft for large vessels, the facility will connect to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and a 260-kilometre superhighway to serve domestic and landlocked regional markets.
Governor Otu and Marine and Blue Economy Minister Adegboyega Oyetola praised the milestone, aided by modern navigational surveys replacing colonial charts, as a driver for local jobs, industrial growth, and Nigeria’s prominence in the Gulf of Guinea.
