For a state that has spent years looking towards the sea with the hope of opening a new economic door, Cross River may now be watching another door open somewhere else.
The sea does not belong to any state. But in Nigeria, where major infrastructure often follows political attention and economic priorities, the location of a major seaport can change the fortunes of an entire region.
That is why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed push for a deep seaport in Ogun State should get the attention of Cross River.
On September 24, 2026, Tinubu witnessed the signing of agreements between the Ogun State Government and DP World for the development of the Gateway Deep Seaport and Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone.
The Ogun project is expected to attract more than $7 billion in initial investment and create over 50,000 direct jobs. The Federal Government has also promised support for the infrastructure needed to connect the port to major economic corridors.
For Cross River, the timing is significant.
The state has spent years pursuing the Bakassi Deep Seaport, a project conceived during the administration of former Governor Ben Ayade and now being pushed by Governor Bassey Otu.
In August, the Cross River Government announced that it had secured $3.5 billion from Afreximbank for the Bakassi project. The state has also said that key technical and financial requirements have been addressed, with plans for President Tinubu to visit Cross River for the project’s groundbreaking.
So the Ogun development does not automatically mean Bakassi is dead.
Nigeria can have more than one major seaport. Ogun can develop its own maritime corridor while Cross River develops another. The two projects can serve different regions and economic interests.
But there is a reason Cross River residents should be watching closely.
For years, Cross River has heard promises that Bakassi would become a major gateway for international trade and transform the state’s economy. Yet while Cross River has continued to wait, Ogun now has a major international port operator, billions of dollars in projected investment and a highly visible presidential commitment.
That is where the real concern begins.
The question is no longer simply whether Bakassi will happen. It is whether Cross River will receive the same urgency, political attention and federal support now being demonstrated in Ogun.
There is no evidence that Tinubu has cancelled or rejected the Bakassi project. In fact, the Cross River Government says the President is expected to visit the state for its groundbreaking.
But Cross River cannot afford to sleep on that promise.
The Ogun project also offers a lesson. A modern seaport cannot stand alone. It needs roads, rail, power, industries, warehouses, logistics facilities and a clear economic corridor around it.
If Bakassi is going to transform Cross River, the state must think beyond the port itself.
Governor Otu now has an opportunity to turn the $3.5 billion funding announcement into something residents can see and touch. And Cross River’s political leaders in Abuja must keep the Bakassi project firmly on the national agenda.
Because while Cross River waits for its long-promised gateway to the world, another gateway is already beginning to take shape in Ogun.
And that may be the real warning for Cross River.
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