N50bn airport upgrade: Makinde counters Wike’s claim, says ‘Tinubu didn’t give Oyo N50bn’

.’Ibadan Airport upgrade project being undertaken 100% with funds of Oyo State’

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has dismissed as false a claim by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the Federal Government gave Oyo State N50 billion for the upgrade of the Ladoke Akintola International Airport, Ibadan.

Recall that during a live appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, the FCT minister had said he was not the sole beneficiary of the Tinubu administration among the G5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a group which Makinde previously belonged to.

“President Tinubu provided N50 billion to support Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde’s plan to upgrade Oyo Airport into an international airport. So, it’s not correct to say I’m the only G5 governor benefiting from Tinubu’s government,” Wike said.

But speaking at the Makinde/Daura 2027 Presidential Town Hall meeting in Katsina on Tuesday, the Oyo State governor said his attention was drawn to Wike’s comments during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout programme on Monday.

Makinde said the airport project was being funded entirely by Oyo State, directly contradicting Wike’s claim that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration supported the state with N50 billion for the upgrade.

“I want to say that claim is false,” Makinde said. “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.”

Makinde, however, said he decided to address the claim before proceeding with other issues at the Northwest consultative meeting.

“Before I go into say a few things, let me start by saying that, my attention was drawn to an interview granted yesterday by the minister of the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, where he said that the president gave ₦50 billion to Oyo State or to me to upgrade the Oyo airport in Ibadan to international standard. I want to say that that claim is false.

“The president did not give ₦50 billion to me or N50 billion to Oyo State to upgrade the Ibadan airport. Ibadan airport upgrade project is being undertaken 100 percent with the money of Oyo State”, he said.

The governor said the Katsina meeting was part of the Northwest consultative engagement, during which he met with the presidential candidate and stakeholders and listened to their concerns.

“We are here at the Northwest Consultative Meeting. We met with our candidate, stakeholders, and listened to you,” Makinde said.

The APM candidate also used the Katsina engagement to present the party’s “Reset Nigeria Agenda”, a policy framework he said was designed to address the country’s economic, educational, security and governance challenges.

Makinde, who is seeking to contest the 2027 presidential election, said the North-West town hall was part of the party’s nationwide consultations aimed at engaging Nigerians ahead of the polls.

He said his proposed administration would focus on building a productive economy through investment in entrepreneurship, skills development, knowledge and large-scale production, arguing that Nigeria must move beyond dependence on natural resources.

According to him, a competitive economy must be driven by innovation and productivity capable of sustaining businesses and creating opportunities for citizens.

On education, Makinde promised to prioritise accurate data collection on out-of-school children and implement programmes to return them to classrooms.

Addressing security challenges, he cited the deaths of 37 young Nigerians linked to illegal mining in Niger State, stressing the need for government to tackle the root causes of insecurity by creating legitimate economic opportunities.

He advocated greater involvement of state governments in mining activities while allowing the Federal Government to maintain regulatory oversight.

The APM National Chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, said the party was presenting Nigerians with an alternative political direction, lamenting that insecurity had affected farming, education, businesses and freedom of movement.

Dantalle called for collective efforts to restore security, reduce poverty and improve access to education across the country.