Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has rejected a claim by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike that the Federal Government gave Oyo State ₦50 billion to support the upgrade of the Ibadan Airport.
The disagreement, which emerged on September 22, has added another public dispute to the increasingly complicated political relationship between the two former members of the Peoples Democratic Party’s G5 governors as politicians begin positioning ahead of the 2027 elections.
What Wike Said About the ₦50 Billion
Wike made the claim during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, September 21. He was responding to arguments that he was the only former G5 governor benefiting from the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Wike said the Tinubu administration had provided ₦50 billion to support Makinde’s plan to upgrade the Ibadan Airport to international standards. His comments presented the alleged funding as evidence that the President had also supported Makinde.
The claim quickly became a political issue because of the history between the two men and Makinde’s current political position.
Makinde’s Response: Oyo Funded the Project
Makinde responded on Tuesday at the Makinde/Daura 2027 Presidential Town Hall Meeting in Katsina, saying the claim was false.
He said neither he nor Oyo State received ₦50 billion from Tinubu for the airport and maintained that the project was being funded entirely by the state government. Channels Television and Premium Times reported the same position.
Oyo State officials have gone further, saying the Federal Government’s approval for the airport project specifically stated that it would be carried out at no cost to the Federal Government.
The available reports therefore establish two conflicting claims, rather than independently confirming that the ₦50 billion changed hands.
Why the Airport Has Become Political
The airport project itself predates the latest disagreement. Makinde launched the upgrade of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport in September 2024 at an initial cost of ₦41 billion. The domestic terminal upgrade was completed in October 2025, while work on the international terminal and related facilities has continued.
That history makes the dispute significant because the question is now partly about who should receive credit for a major infrastructure project.
It also comes as Makinde, now the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, is conducting political consultations ahead of 2027. His Katsina meeting was used not only to respond to Wike but also to present his party’s policy agenda.
From G5 Allies to Public Disagreement
Makinde and Wike were once part of the PDP’s G5 governors, who opposed Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign in 2023 after Wike lost the party’s presidential primary and objected to the outcome.
Their political paths have since diverged. Wike joined Tinubu’s Federal Executive Council as FCT minister, while Makinde has emerged as a presidential candidate outside the PDP.
The airport dispute therefore carries a wider political context, but the immediate issue remains factual: whether the Federal Government provided ₦50 billion for the project, as Wike said, or whether Oyo State financed the upgrade without such federal funding, as Makinde maintains.
Further clarification from the Federal Government or documentary evidence concerning the alleged payment would be needed to resolve the conflicting accounts.
