Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has rejected a claim by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the Federal Government provided N50 billion for the upgrade of the Ibadan International Airport.
Wike had made the claim during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, saying the Bola Tinubu administration supported the Oyo State Government with N50 billion for the airport project.
Makinde responded on Tuesday while addressing supporters at the Makinde/Daura 2027 Presidential Town Hall meeting in Katsina, insisting that the airport upgrade was being financed entirely by the Oyo State Government.
“Let me start by saying that 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 N50bn to Oyo State to upgrade the Ibadan Airport.
“I want to say that claim is false. The President did not give Oyo State N50 bn or me to upgrade the Ibadan Airport. The Ibadan Airport upgrade project is being undertaken 100 per cent with the funds of Oyo State.”
Makinde’s media aide, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, subsequently reinforced the governor’s position, describing Wike’s claim as false and misleading.
Olanrewaju said the presidential approval relating to the airport proposal stated that the reconstruction and upgrade would be undertaken “at no cost to the Federal Government.”
According to him, the Oyo State Government has consequently funded the ongoing work, which includes runway expansion and strengthening, improvements to airfield lighting and navigational systems, apron upgrades, aviation safety installations, the dualisation of the Airport Road and the construction of a modern international terminal.
He further argued that the alleged N50 billion funding did not arise from any Federal Executive Council decision or documented presidential approval relating to the airport project.
“President Bola Tinubu’s minute on the proposal submitted to him by Governor Seyi Makinde for the reconstruction and upgrade of the Ibadan airport was ‘Approved at no cost to the Federal Government.’
“The records as stated above are with the Presidency just as they are with the Oyo State Government.
“Wike’s assertion does not originate from any Federal Executive Council decision, presidential approval, or statutory aviation infrastructure process.
“It is not an official communication of the Federal Government. It is not backed by documentation. It is not grounded in fact. It is a claim made without responsibility and without regard for the truth, and should therefore be disregarded by members of the public.”
Olanrewaju also criticised the FCT minister for making the allegation without, according to him, first verifying the relevant records.
“Wike’s statement is both untrue and unfortunate. He should have sought knowledge on the matter before going on air. Let it be stated unambiguously: The Federal Government did not give Oyo State N50bn for the Ibadan Airport upgrade. Any suggestion to the contrary is a fabrication and a lie from the pit of hell.
“Aviation infrastructure funding follows strict due-process channels involving the Federal Ministry of Aviation and other regulatory bodies. These channels are transparent, traceable, and publicly verifiable. None of them reflects the figure Mr Wike has circulated.
“The Oyo State Government will not allow misinformation, especially one of this magnitude, to be weaponised for political point-scoring or used to distort public understanding of government finances.
“The claim is not only false; it is reckless, misleading, and capable of eroding public trust if left unchallenged,” Olanrewaju said.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Makinde seeking the presidency on the APM platform while Wike remains a member of the Federal Government.
The two politicians have offered conflicting accounts of the funding of the Ibadan airport upgrade, with Makinde maintaining that the project has been financed by Oyo State and Wike asserting that the Federal Government provided N50 billion. The competing claims have not, at this stage, been resolved by independently published federal financial documentation.
