By Ade Oyeyemi
Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has disputed a claim by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the Federal Government gave Oyo State ₦50bn for the upgrade of the Ibadan International Airport.
Makinde said the claim was incorrect, insisting that his administration had funded the ongoing rehabilitation and expansion of the Ladoke Akintola International Airport entirely from the state’s resources.
The governor spoke on Tuesday during the Makinde/Daura 2027 Presidential Town Hall meeting in Katsina State.
He was responding to remarks made by Wike during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout programme on Monday.
During the programme, the FCT minister had said the administration of President Bola Tinubu provided ₦50bn to support the airport project in Oyo State.
But Makinde said no such funds were received by him or the state government.
He said, “My attention was drawn to an interview granted yesterday by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, where he said that the President gave N50 billion to Oyo State to upgrade the Ibadan Airport.
“I want to say that claim is false. The President did not give me or Oyo State N50 billion to upgrade the Ibadan Airport. The Ibadan Airport upgrade project is being undertaken 100 per cent with the funds of Oyo State.”
Wike had made the statement while discussing the political relationship between President Tinubu and members of the former PDP Governors’ Forum, popularly known as the G5.
The minister cited the alleged airport funding as one of the forms of support he said the Tinubu administration had extended to Makinde.
Makinde, however, rejected the claim and maintained that the state government had not received the alleged ₦50bn from the Federal Government for the airport project.
The Ibadan airport upgrade is one of the major infrastructure projects being undertaken by the Oyo State Government as part of efforts to improve the facility and its capacity to handle international operations.
The disagreement comes against the backdrop of heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Makinde now seeking the presidency on the APM platform and Wike serving in the Tinubu administration.
Both men were previously members of the PDP G5, a group of five governors that took political positions during the 2023 presidential election that differed from the position of the PDP leadership.
Makinde’s latest comments further highlight the differing political positions between the Oyo governor and Wike as preparations for the 2027 elections gather pace.
