By President Bola Tinubu is expected to visit Cross River State to officially perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the long-awaited Bakassi Deep Seaport project, the state government has confirmed.
The deep seaport, conceived during the administration of former Governor Ben Ayade, is regarded as one of the state’s most ambitious infrastructure projects but remained dormant for years before the current administration moved to revive it.
Cross River State Commissioner for Information, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, said Governor Bassey Otu led administration is committed to ensuring the project is completed.
Cobham disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar.
Although he did not announce a specific date for President Tinubu’s visit, the commissioner said Governor Otu had been working closely with the Presidency to finalise arrangements for the President’s visit and the commencement of the project.
According to him, critical requirements needed to move the project forward, including funding and technical assessments, have already been concluded.
He noted that the scale and national significance of the Bakassi Deep Seaport made it fitting for the President to personally perform the groundbreaking ceremony.
“I can authoritatively assure you that all protocols, requirements and funding for the Bakassi Deep Seaport project, started by Otu’s predecessor, Prof. Ben Ayade, have been ascertained, concretised and guaranteed,” he said.
Cobham further stated that the Otu administration had advanced the project beyond the planning stage into the implementation phase, with financial backing secured from the African Development Bank.
He added that comprehensive technical studies, including investigations into the soil composition at the proposed project site, had been completed to confirm the viability of the seaport.
“President Tinubu would have since performed the groundbreaking, but for minor misinformation, which has now been sorted out. The visit has therefore been rescheduled.
“Our governor has been working with the Presidency for President Tinubu to visit the state and perform the groundbreaking soon,” Cobham disclosed.
The Bakassi Deep Seaport is expected to boost maritime trade, attract investment and strengthen Cross River State’s position as a major logistics and commercial hub in Nigeria’s South-South region.
