…commends FG for being proactive,  slams Hov as ethnic bigot 

…88-yr old airport can’t be moved from Ido-Osun to Adeleke’s Ede hometown-FG

By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo
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The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the Federal Government for its proactiveness in preventing the proposed relocation of the MKO Abiola International Airport from Ido-Osun to Ede, the hometown of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

Recalled that protests followed the alleged decision of Governor Adeleke to relocate the Ido-Osun Airport to Ede.

The state government had cited technical reasons for its decision, but some youths from Ido-Osun protested against the move, describing it as false and unjustified.

The attempted relocation of the 88-year-old airport to Ede by Governor Adeleke has caused a series of crises in Ido-Osun, the host community. There have been protests and demonstrations by women, youths, and other segments of the population of the ancient town, who viewed the now-abandoned relocation effort as an act of executive recklessness and oppression by the ruling government.

In a statement, Kola Olabisi, Director of Media and Information for the APC, criticised the governor’s plan, stating that the relocation proposal had consistently attracted negative comments from within and outside the country.

Olabisi argued that there was no valid reason for the relocation of the airport other than an unfair desire to display favouritism and nepotism.

According to Olabisi, the relocation saga heightened tension across the state, necessitating urgent intervention by the Federal Government to address the unrest over the airport’s relocation.

He noted that such a decision is ill-timed, especially given the state’s struggle to boost its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

“It is an act of folly for a state government to abandon a project that has already consumed billions of naira, only to seek trivial and irrational reasons for its relocation. This has resulted in a monumental popularity deficit for the PDP-led administration in Osun State,” Olabisi remarked.

He further criticised the Adeleke administration, describing it as lacking in proper planning and prioritisation.

Olabisi applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Federal Government for acting promptly to resolve the issue.

The APC spokesperson urged Governor Adeleke to stop aggravating the grievances of Osun State residents, insisting that there was no justification for renaming the abandoned airport after his late brother, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, the first executive governor of the state, who served for less than two years.

“The governor should understand that Osun State is not the private property of his family and must change his approach to governance,” Olabisi said.

He also criticised the governor for focusing developmental projects on Ede, his hometown, to the detriment of other parts of the state.

“It is a disgrace that a government unable to fulfil its welfare obligations to the people could prioritise a project with no immediate positive impact.

“If Governor Adeleke truly has excess funds for an airport, why has he not fulfilled his campaign promise of clearing all outstanding salary arrears within six months of his administration? Such actions reflect poor judgement and misplaced priorities,” Olabisi concluded.