Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has denied receiving N50bn from the Federal Government for the upgrade of the Ladoke Akintola International Airport, Ibadan.
Makinde made the clarification on Tuesday at the Makinde/Daura 2027 Presidential Town Hall meeting in Katsina, following a claim by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the Bola Tinubu administration provided the funds for the airport project.
The governor said the airport upgrade was being financed entirely by the Oyo State Government, disputing the claim that the Federal Government had contributed N50bn to the project.
Wike had made the claim on Monday while appearing on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout programme.
Makinde said the airport project was being executed with state funds and that no N50bn had been provided by the Federal Government for its upgrade.
He said, “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 N50 billion to Oyo State to upgrade the Ibadan Airport to international standards.
“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.”
The dispute comes amid the ongoing political activities surrounding the 2027 presidential election, with Makinde currently seeking the presidency on the APM platform.
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