Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo, has requested that Ademola Adeleke, the Governor of Osun State, suspend the foundation-laying ceremony for the state’s international airport.
The call comes amid growing controversy over the relocation of the airport project to a new site in Ede, instead of its original location in Ido-Osun.
Governor Adeleke had previously announced plans to move the MKO Abiola International Airport project from Ido-Osun to Ede, citing the former’s unsuitability for a full-fledged airport. However, this decision has sparked significant opposition from the Ido-Osun community, who have expressed dissatisfaction with the move. On November 26, local residents staged protests, condemning the relocation as “nepotistic and undemocratic,” with some arguing that the Ido-Osun site already has the necessary infrastructure, including the largest flat runway in Nigeria, which could be used for the airport’s development.
In response to these concerns, the Ido-Osun Youth Forum submitted a petition to Keyamo on November 29, urging the federal government to intervene. The forum criticized the relocation plan as politically motivated and wasteful, emphasizing the potential of the existing Ido-Osun site and calling for a focus on revitalizing it instead of constructing a new airport in Ede.
In a letter dated December 6, the Ministry of Aviation, through Permanent Secretary Emmanuel Meribole, advised Governor Adeleke to suspend the groundbreaking ceremony until the dispute over the airport’s location is resolved. The letter pointed out that the existing airstrip is a federal project, included in the Ministry’s 2024 budget, and that there are concerns regarding the funds already spent on the Ido-Osun site. The ministry emphasized the importance of aligning state and federal efforts to avoid wasting public resources.
The dispute over the Osun State airport project dates back to the administration of Rauf Aregbesola in 2012, which had attempted to revive the abandoned airport project but faced similar challenges before it was left incomplete.
