THE Federal Government (FG) has withdrawn its support for the foundation-laying ceremony for the proposed Osun State International Airport in Ede, Osun State.
According to Punch, the boycott of the ceremony, initially scheduled for December 13, followed a request from the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, citing unresolved disputes surrounding the project.
At the centre of the controversy is the planned relocation of the airport from Ido-Osun to Ede, the governor’s hometown.
A state government committee had previously reported that the original site didn’t meet basic aviation requirements, prompting the relocation.
The decision sparked protests from the Ido community and reignited longstanding rivalry with its neighbour – Ede.
The airport project has been plagued by financial constraints and controversies, after the state’s former governor, Rauf Aregbesola, had allegedly spent N64 billion on it.
In 2017, the state government revived the project but later opted for concession due to financial difficulties.
The ministry’s request to delay the event came in a letter dated December 6, signed by the permanent secretary, Emmanuel Merinole.
In the letter, the ministry referenced a letter from the Osun State Government regarding the airport.
The ministry requested that the governor suspend the foundation-laying ceremony until issues regarding petitions over the existing airstrip/airport are resolved.
The ministry noted that the airstrip is a federal project included in the 2024 budget and that the state’s plan to expand it must align with federal objectives.
The ministry also mentioned a petition indicating an existing airstrip on which funds had been expended and suggested using the old site instead of a new one in Ede.
The ministry reportedly urged the governor to postpone the ceremony pending the resolution of petitions and selection of a mutually agreed date.
The ICIR contacted the chief press secretary (CPS) to the state government, Olawale Rasheed, on Wednesday, December 11, he promised to give more clarification on the matter through a press statement that is being prepared.
“I will get back to you on this. We are working on a comprehensive press statement that will be released any moment from now,” Rasheed stated.
Meanwhile, the Osun chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has lauded the federal government for halting the airport project.
Osun APC, in a statement on Wednesday, December 10, by its director of media and Information, Kola Olabisi, said the “ineffective relocation” of the airport by the state governor to his hometown was causing a string of crises in Ido-Osun, the original host community.
The party condemned the relocation attempt as a blatant abuse of power and a manifestation of executive impunity.
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A reporter with the ICIR
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