- The Osun State government has relocated the state airport project from Ido-Osun to Akoda, Ede, due to technical issues.
- The existing runway at Ido-Osun is only 1.67km, which falls short of the required 4.8km standard for a full-fledged airport.
- The relocation decision has sparked protests from residents and indigenes of Ido-Osun, who claim that the move is undemocratic and amounts to nepotism.
- The state government has justified the decision, citing technical and viability concerns rather than politics.
The Osun State government has relocated the state airport project from Ido-Osun to Akoda, Ede, due to technical issues, particularly an inadequate runway. According to Lai Oriowo, a member of the airport project technical committee, the existing runway at Ido-Osun is only 1.67km, which falls short of the required 4.8km standard for a full-fledged airport .
The relocation decision has sparked protests from residents and indigenes of Ido-Osun, who claim that the move is undemocratic and amounts to nepotism, as Ede is Governor Ademola Adeleke’s hometown. However, the state government has justified the decision, citing technical and viability concerns rather than politics.
Some of the technical issues that led to the relocation include:
- Inadequate runway length: The existing runway at Ido-Osun is only 1.67km, which is shorter than the required 4.8km standard for a full-fledged airport.
- Insufficient land area: The total area of the site at Ido-Osun is approximately 3,871,806.34 square meters, which is not enough to accommodate a standard airport.
- Poorly located infrastructure: The uncompleted terminal building, control tower building, and fire and rescue buildings are wrongly located with reference to the runway.
Despite the controversy, the state government has assured that the existing airport at Ido-Osun will still serve as a training school and alternate airport .
