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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Energy & Infrastructure

Osun Governor Defends Airport Siting in Hometown Amidst Criticism

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke defended his decision to site a new international airport in his hometown of Ede.
  • He argued that his role as governor does not preclude him from developing his own community, citing other projects in different towns.
  • Critics, including opposition parties, have questioned the project's cost and location, with concerns about the contractor's qualifications and the escalating budget.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has staunchly defended the controversial decision to locate the proposed Ede International Airport in his hometown. Responding to criticism during a town hall meeting hosted by Arise Television, Adeleke asserted that his position as governor does not obligate him to neglect his own community.

I wish my town to be small London. So because I’m a governor, I should abandon my own town?

— Ademola AdelekeDefending the decision to develop his hometown.

"I wish my town to be small London. So because I’m a governor, I should abandon my own town?" Adeleke questioned, emphasizing his commitment to Ede's development. He pointed to projects undertaken in other Osun towns, such as Ila, Bongo, Ikire, Iwo, and Ilesa, to demonstrate that his administration has not favored Ede exclusively. "But I cannot be fixing other towns alone and abandon mine. I’m not a bastard. I will fix my town too," he declared.

But I cannot be fixing other towns alone and abandon mine. I’m not a bastard. I will fix my town too.

— Ademola AdelekeAsserting his right to develop his own community.

The governor highlighted the state's lack of a functional airport, describing the existing facility as an airdrome used by the Nigerian Air Force. He explained that experts were consulted to find a suitable site, and they ultimately recommended Ede, drawing a parallel with Ogun State's airport, which he noted is situated on farmland in Abeokuta.

In the South-West, we are the only state without an airport. So I invited experts to go and look for a suitable site.

— Ademola AdelekeExplaining the rationale behind the airport project.

The Ede airport project, initially budgeted at 99.5 billion naira, has faced significant backlash. Opposition parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), have raised concerns about the contractor's alleged lack of aviation infrastructure experience and the project's escalating cost, now reportedly exceeding 130 billion naira. The APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, specifically questioned the firm's background in interior decoration, while the APM suggested upgrading the existing airstrip at Ido-Osun instead.

Go to Ogun State; the airport is on farmland in Abeokuta. It’s the same thing. There’s nothing I can do about that.

— Ademola AdelekeJustifying the location choice by citing precedents in other states.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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