Makinde Denies Getting N50bn From Tinubu for Ibadan Airport

(Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Nyesom Wike. Photo by The GUardian Nigeria News)

The governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, said on Tuesday that a claim made by a federal government official is not true.

The official, Nyesom Wike who is the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, said that President Bola Tinubu gave N50 billion naira to help pay for an airport upgrade project in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.

Makinde rejected this claim and said it is completely false.

He said the airport upgrade is being paid for entirely by the Oyo State Government with its own money, not with money from the President.

Makinde made this statement while attending a town hall meeting organized by the APM political party in Katsina State.

 The APM is the party that nominated Makinde as their presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

Earlier on Monday, Wike appeared on a television program and said that President Tinubu gave the N50 billion to Makinde for the airport project.

Wike claimed this shows that other governors are also benefiting from Tinubu's government, not just himself.

The airport project in Ibadan is called the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport.

Makinde started the upgrade work in September 2024 with an initial budget of N41 billion naira.

The part of the airport that handles local flights was finished in October 2025.

Work on the international terminal, which will include areas for customs and immigration, is still going on.

Wike and Makinde used to work together as part of a group of governors called the G5.

They opposed another politician named Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 election.

But now they have split apart because Wike supports President Tinubu and has become his Federal Capital Territory minister.

Makinde, on the other hand, is now running for president under the APM party instead.