Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has recounted how he stood firm against the Federal Government on what he described as unfair and selective use of a state-owned airport, insisting that public infrastructure must serve the people before private or elite interests.
According to the governor, the airport was being operated under restricted conditions through the issuance of NOTAMs, Notifications to Airmen, that allowed only specific aircraft to land and take off.
Governor Seyi Makinde revealed in the recent interview he granted that they landed about 15 planes at the airport.
Yet the airport remained locked from the public use, all because of politics.
As he monitored the situation, Makinde said he documented the activities by recording videos and taking photographs, troubled by what he believed was an injustice to the people of Oyo State.
He said he later escalated the matter to the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, expressing his dissatisfaction and stressing that the arrangement was unfair to ordinary citizens who could not access an airport built with state funds.
In response, the minister reportedly told him that he too could land at the airport if he wished, as a special NOTAM could be issued for his aircraft.
Makinde, however, rejected the offer. He made it clear that he would not land at the airport until it was officially opened to the general public. For him, the issue was not about personal access, but about principle and fairness.
The governor revealed that despite the airport not being open for public use, it was used to receive several high-profile visitors. He cited an instance when the First Lady traveled to Ile-Ife to receive a chieftaincy title, during which as many as 15 or 16 aircraft reportedly landed at the facility. Shortly afterward, the President of Ghana was also scheduled to land there en route to Ile-Ife.
At that point, Makinde said he issued a stern warning to the Minister of Aviation. He threatened to block the route leading to the airport if the selective usage continued.
His position was uncompromising: if the general public could not use the airport, then no individual, no matter how highly placed would be allowed to do so.
“This is state money,” the governor emphasized, underscoring that the airport was funded by public resources and should therefore be accessible to the people.
Eventually, the standoff led to a resolution. The airport was officially opened for public use, and only then did Governor Makinde land there himself, satisfied that the facility was finally serving its intended purpose.
The episode, he suggested, was a clear statement of his administration’s stance on equity, accountability, and the proper use of public infrastructure.