By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Calabar
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to visit Cross River State soon to perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bakassi Deep Seaport project.
The state Commissioner for Information, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, disclosed this while fielding questions from journalists at the NUJ Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar.
Although the commissioner did not disclose a specific date for the President’s visit, he said Governor Bassey Otu had been working with the Presidency to actualise the visit and ensure the commencement of the project.
Cobham said all major requirements for the actualisation of the deep seaport had been addressed, including funding and technical studies.
He explained that the strategic importance and magnitude of the project made it appropriate for the President to 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.
The commissioner added that the Otu administration had moved the project from the planning stage towards actual implementation, with funding secured from the African Development Bank.
He said extensive studies, including investigations into the soil texture of the proposed site, had also been conducted to establish the technical feasibility of the project.
“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.
