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 (FCT), Nyesom Wike, that the Federal Government provided ₦50 billion to support the upgrade of the Ibadan Airport.
Wike made the claim on Monday, September 21, during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, where he said President Bola Tinubu’s administration provided the funds to support the expansion of the Ladoke Akintola International Airport in Ibadan.
Reacting on Tuesday, September 22, during the Makinde/Daura 2027 Presidential Town Hall meeting in Katsina, Makinde said the claim was false and maintained that the airport project was being funded entirely by the Oyo State Government.
Makinde said his attention had been drawn to Wike’s interview and disputed the suggestion that the state had received ₦50 billion from the Federal Government.
“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,” he said.
The dispute comes amid broader political tensions between Makinde and Wike ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Makinde’s administration has been overseeing work at the Samuel Ladoke Akintola International Airport in Ibadan as part of its plan to upgrade the facility. The governor’s official platform reported an inspection of the airport terminal project on September 11.
Wike, in making his original claim, said the reported federal support was part of the assistance extended to members of the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) G5 who supported Tinubu’s 2023 presidential bid.
Makinde has now publicly denied receiving the alleged ₦50 billion, leaving the two officials with conflicting accounts over the funding of the Ibadan airport upgrade.
The Federal Government has not, in the reports reviewed, publicly confirmed or denied the specific ₦50 billion claim.
