Nigeria's Vice President Kashim Shettima says the $3.5 billion Bakassi Deep Seaport is a fiscal game-changer set to catapult Cross River State and Nigeria into a leading hub for the blue economy.
The Vice President disclosed this in a statement posted on his official Facebook handle, Senator Kashim Shettima, on Saturday, following the groundbreaking ceremony of the port in Calabar.
Writing on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Shettima said he performed the groundbreaking for the multi-billion-dollar project, noting that it has broken a decades-long jinx and revived hopes for a deep seaport in the State.
According to the post, the flag-off marks a major milestone in efforts to transform the country's economy.
"We mean business this time around. I was not in Calabar to cut a ribbon and dance Ekpe masquerade but to break ground and break a centuries-old jinx," the Vice President wrote.
He further stated: "Many people believed this port would never happen. They said it would be a pipe dream. They said Bakassi would only be remembered for what we lost. Today, we answer them with a shovel, with concrete, with steel, and with hope, a renewed hope that a dream deferred can become a dream actualised."
