The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and other relevant government agencies to collaborate with the Akwa Ibom State Government for the establishment and realization of the Ibom Deep Seaport project.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Hon. Unyime Idem (APC, Akwa Ibom) and nine other lawmakers.
The House also directed its relevant committees to visit the project site and submit recommendations to support its execution.
Idem noted that marine trade and the blue economy are key drivers of global growth, offering vast opportunities for sustainable economic development, job creation, and improved livelihoods.
He lamented that Akwa Ibom’s ocean resources remain largely underutilized, resulting in lost foreign direct investments and missed economic opportunities.
Citing a 2022 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, Idem revealed that infrastructure deficiencies in Nigerian ports have reduced the country’s export capacity by up to 40%.
He added that the NPA had projected the Ibom Deep Seaport to attract over 5.6 billion dollars in investment, stressing that its completion would boost industrialization, create jobs, strengthen value chains, and advance export processing initiatives.
According to him, Akwa Ibom’s strategic coastal location on the Atlantic Ocean positions it as a key hub for export-driven growth, supported by abundant natural and agricultural resources such as cocoa, palm oil, cassava, rubber, fish, crude oil, and limestone.
He warned that the Niger Delta loses about 1.2 billion dollars annually to port inefficiencies, as highlighted by a 2020 Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) report.
Idem emphasised that Nigeria’s blue economy currently contributes about 2% to GDP, but with President Bola Tinubu’s vision to raise it to between 5% and 10%, the Ibom Deep Seaport could be a major catalyst.
He also noted that Nigeria’s port infrastructure, currently handling 1.7 trillion TEUs, is overstretched, causing congestion, shipment delays, and higher business costs that weaken export competitiveness.
Highlighting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a transformative opportunity, Idem quoted President Tinubu’s remarks at the WAES 2025 and ECOWAS Summits: “AfCFTA is Nigeria’s runway to industrial transformation. We must break the barriers that have made us a nation of traders, not manufacturers. Our borders must become bridges, not bottlenecks.”
The lawmaker said that establishing the Ibom Deep Seaport through a strong federal–state partnership would expand haulage networks, enhance export capacity, attract foreign investments, and significantly boost Nigeria’s GDP.
