Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has rejected a claim by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, that President Bola Tinubu provided N50 billion to support the upgrade of the Ibadan Airport.
Gatekeepers News reports that Wike had made the claim during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Monday while discussing the benefits received by members of the G5, a group of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors who opposed the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
According to Wike, Tinubu supported Makinde’s plan to upgrade the airport as part of the assistance extended to members of the G5 who backed him during the 2023 presidential election.
However, Makinde dismissed the claim as false while speaking at a town hall meeting organised by his Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Katsina on Tuesday.
“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,” Makinde said.
“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.”
The governor had flagged off 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.
The disagreement comes amid a broader political fallout between Makinde and Wike. Both were members of the PDP G5 ahead of the 2023 presidential election, but Makinde has since distanced himself from Wike’s current political alignment with the Tinubu administration.
Wike, who was appointed FCT minister by Tinubu in August 2023, has been supporting the president’s bid for a second term, while Makinde, who is now the APM’s presidential candidate, has positioned himself separately ahead of the 2027 election.
