Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate Seyi Makinde has disputed a claim by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that President Bola Tinubu provided N50 billion to support the upgrade of the Ladoke Akintola Airport in Ibadan.
Makinde spoke on Tuesday at the APM North-West town hall meeting in Katsina, where he rejected the claim and said the airport project was being financed entirely by the Oyo State Government.
Wike had made the claim a day earlier during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, saying Tinubu had provided N50 billion to support Makinde’s plan to upgrade the airport to international standards.
“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.
Responding, Makinde said the claim was incorrect and maintained that neither he nor the Oyo State Government received the alleged N50 billion from the President for the airport project.
“My attention was called to an interview granted yesterday by the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, where he said that the President gave N50 billion to Oyo State or to me to upgrade the airport in Ibadan to international standards.
“I want to say that claim is false. The President did not give N50 billion to me or to Oyo State to upgrade the Ibadan Airport. The airport upgrade project is being undertaken 100 per cent with the money of Oyo State,” Makinde said.
The governor launched the upgrade of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport in September 2024 at an initial cost of N41 billion.
The domestic terminal was completed in October 2025, while work on the international terminal, including facilities for customs and immigration, is still ongoing.
Makinde’s media aide, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, also said the Federal Government approved the airport project on the condition that it would incur no cost to the Federal Government.
According to Olanrewaju, the state government has financed components of the project including the expansion and strengthening of the runway, installation of airfield lighting and navigation systems, apron improvements, Airport Road works and construction of the international terminal.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of the political relationship between Makinde and Wike, who were among the five governors that formed the G5 during the 2023 election cycle.
The group opposed the presidential bid of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar amid the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party. The other members were then-Benue Governor Samuel Ortom, former Enugu Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and former Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
Wike, who is a member of the PDP, was appointed FCT Minister by Tinubu in 2023 and has publicly supported the President’s bid for a second term.
Makinde has since taken a different political position from Wike, particularly over the FCT Minister’s support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
