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The Oyo State Government has rejected a claim attributed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the Federal Government had provided ₦50 billion to the state for the reconstruction and upgrade of the Ibadan Airport.
The state government said the Federal Government did not provide any money for the airport project, insisting that Oyo State has financed the upgrade since receiving federal approval.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued by Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde, in response to comments attributed to Wike.
According to the statement published by Blueprint on September 23, 2026, Olanrewaju said the project was approved by President Bola Tinubu “at no cost to the federal government.”
Oyo Says Airport Project Was Self-Funded
The Oyo State Government said the approval granted by the Federal Government clearly stated that the upgrade would be undertaken without financial obligations for the Federal Government.
Olanrewaju said the records relating to the approval were available with both the Presidency and the Oyo State Government.
He maintained that the state subsequently took responsibility for financing the project and its various components.
“Approved at no cost to the federal government” was reportedly the presidential minute on the proposal submitted by Governor Makinde for the reconstruction and upgrade of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport.
The state government said the approval formed the basis for its decision to finance the airport transformation.
According to the government, the project has involved several components aimed at improving the airport’s infrastructure and operational capacity.
Major Works Underway At Ibadan Airport
The Oyo government listed the expansion and strengthening of the airport runway among the projects undertaken as part of the upgrade.
It also said work had been carried out on airfield lighting and navigational systems, while improvements were made to the airport apron.
Other infrastructure linked to the project includes the dualisation of the Airport Road and enhanced aviation safety installations.
The state government also said work was ongoing on a modern international terminal.
The proposed terminal is expected to increase the airport’s passenger and cargo handling capacity when completed.
Oyo State described the collection of projects as a comprehensive transformation of the facility rather than a limited rehabilitation exercise.
The government therefore rejected the suggestion that the Federal Government had provided funding for the project.
Earlier ₦41bn Commitment
The current dispute comes against the background of Oyo State’s earlier public commitment to fund the airport upgrade.
In September 2024, Governor Seyi Makinde announced that his administration would commit ₦41 billion to upgrade the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport to international airport status.
Makinde said the state had been pursuing the airport upgrade since 2019 and viewed the project as part of efforts to transform Ibadan into a regional business hub.
At the flag-off of the project, the governor said the upgrade was intended to improve connectivity and support economic activity in Oyo State.
The 2024 announcement provides publicly reported evidence that Oyo State had planned a substantial financial commitment to the project before the latest dispute over the source of funding.
Federal Government Approved Airport Upgrade
The Federal Government had previously approved the temporary closure of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport to allow major upgrade works to take place.
In March 2025, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria announced that the airport would be temporarily closed for infrastructure works.
FAAN said the closure followed Oyo State’s request to upgrade the airport from a domestic facility to an international aerodrome.
The agency explained that runway operations were suspended by the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency in accordance with aviation safety requirements.
FAAN also said various improvements and remodelling works were underway at the airport at the time.
The federal approval therefore relates to the regulatory and aviation framework for the project, while the Oyo State Government says it has borne the financial cost.
Wike’s Alleged ₦50bn Claim
The latest disagreement followed a statement attributed to Wike that President Tinubu had “settled” Oyo State with ₦50 billion for reconstruction of the airport.
Olanrewaju rejected that account on behalf of the Oyo State Government.
He said the state government had not received such funding from the Federal Government and that the approval documents could be checked by relevant authorities.
The Oyo government described Wike’s statement as inaccurate and said the minister should have sought clarification before making the claim.
The statement represents the position of the Oyo State Government. The available report does not include a response from Wike or the FCT Ministry addressing Olanrewaju’s rebuttal.
Airport Project Has Political Context
The disagreement is also taking place against a broader political dispute involving Makinde and political actors in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 elections.
Recent exchanges have involved the governor, the APC and the Allied Peoples Movement, with disagreements touching on infrastructure, public spending and governance.
On September 22, the APC in Oyo State criticised an APM rally held at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan and questioned government spending. Those allegations were made by the opposition party and have not been independently established in the report.
A separate report on September 20 also detailed criticism from the campaign organisation of APC governorship candidate Sharafadeen Alli over Oyo State’s spending on streetlights and the Lekan Salami Stadium. The campaign organisation made several allegations about the projects, while the Makinde administration subsequently responded to them.
The airport funding dispute therefore adds another infrastructure-related issue to the ongoing political debate in the state.
Focus Remains On Ibadan Airport
Despite the disagreement over funding, the airport upgrade itself remains an ongoing infrastructure project.
The Oyo State Government says the work has covered the runway, airfield lighting, navigation systems, apron, airport road and supporting infrastructure.
The state also says work is continuing on an international terminal designed to improve passenger and cargo capacity.
The Federal Government’s previous approval and FAAN’s announcement of the airport closure confirm that the upgrade has involved federal aviation authorities.
However, the question of who financed the project remains at the centre of the latest disagreement.
Oyo State maintains that it has funded the upgrade and that the Federal Government’s approval specifically stated that the project would come at no cost to the federal government.
The latest report does not provide documentary evidence of the alleged ₦50 billion federal payment or a detailed breakdown of federal and state expenditure on the project.
The funding dispute may therefore depend on the official approval documents and financial records held by the relevant government institutions.
For now, the Oyo State Government has maintained its position that it received no federal funding for the Ibadan Airport upgrade and that the state has financed the project in line with the approval granted by the Federal Government.
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