Residents of Ido Osun, in the Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, staged a protest on Tuesday against Governor Ademola Adeleke’s decision to relocate the ongoing M.K.O. Abiola Airport project to his hometown, Ede.
The protest came after the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, announced plans for the governor’s second anniversary, which included laying the foundation for a new airport in Ede, with the involvement of the Ministers of Works and Aviation, David Umahi and Festus Keyamo.
Led by the Eesa of Ido-Osun, Chief Oyewale Basiru, and former Osun Assembly lawmaker Abiodun Awolola, the protesters gathered at the palace, holding placards with messages such as “Is Adeleke governor of Ede or Osun State?”, “We say no to favouritism”, “Give us back our airport”, and “Relocating the airport to your hometown is nepotistic.”
Awolola, speaking on behalf of the community, strongly criticized the governor’s decision, pointing out that over N20 billion had already been invested in the airport project by previous administrations.
He argued, “Moving the airport from its original location to Adeleke’s hometown would be an act of nepotism and favouritism, contradicting the democratic oath he swore to uphold.”
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He also referenced a promise the governor had made to the late king of Ido-Osun to complete the project, but now, according to Awolola, the situation had reversed.
He expressed particular concern over Kolapo Alimi, a figure who had served under both Governor Rauf Aregbesola and now under Adeleke, for justifying the relocation despite the substantial investments already made.
“The decision to relocate the airport is unjust and disregards the rights and interests of Ido-Osun residents,” Awolola stated.
The community has called for President Bola Tinubu’s intervention to stop the relocation, urging him to direct his ministers to refrain from participating in any foundation-laying ceremony for the proposed airport in Ede.
They also called on the Osun State Government to reconsider the move and proceed with the original airport plan, warning that the decision could spark a communal clash between the Ido-Osun and Ede communities due to their shared boundaries.
Awolola further questioned the logic behind citing land encroachment as a reason for the relocation, claiming the government had already encroached upon that land in the past. “We have sufficient land for the airport,” he added.
