Makinde disputes Wike’s claim of N50bn airport funding

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde denied that the federal government gave the state N50 billion for the upgrade of Ibadan airport, disputing a claim by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike. Makinde said the project is being funded entirely by Oyo State, while Wike said President Bola Tinubu provided the money to support the upgrade. The sources provide no documents or federal government response to resolve the disagreement. Wike made the claim during a television interview on Monday, September 21, saying Tinubu’s administration had supported Oyo’s plan to bring the airport up to international standards. He cited the funding while rejecting suggestions that he was the only former G5 governor benefiting from the administration. Makinde responded at an Allied Peoples Movement town hall in Katsina on Tuesday, September 22. He said Oyo had received no N50 billion from the federal government and that the airport work was being carried out with state funds. His media aide, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, also rejected Wike’s account, saying the presidential approval for the project specified that it would proceed at no cost to the federal government.