The Osun State Commissioner for Transportation Mr Sesan Oyedele, has announced the readiness of Governor Ademola Adeleke to build and deliver a world class passenger and cargo airport in the state.
Oyedele, disclosed this yesterday, at the Southwest Zonal Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Transport Administration (CIOTA), which held at the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos.
He said Governor Adeleke would soon give approval for the commencement of construction of the proposed airport, which was another demonstration of the administration’s readiness and commitment to promote inter-modal transportation and expand the transit alternatives open to the people of the state.
A ormer Governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola, had built an international airport at Ido Osun, Ede North/Egbedore Local Government Areas. The airport named as the Moshood Abiola International Airport is projected to serve human and cargo transportation.
The project site also holds an interesting historic value as it was the site of one of the early airstrips in Nigeria.
But indication had showed that the Adeleke administration may not wish to have anything to do with the airport located at Ido Osun. In October 2023, the governor set up an inter-ministerial committee to look at the desirability of an airport in the state.
Inaugurating the committee, Adeleke had said it was to correct the situation as Osun remained the only state in the Southwest region without an airport.
Oyedele who announced that the committee had since submitted its report added that soon Osun would join the league of states in the country with its own airport in the country.
Oyedele added that besides his strides to ensure that the state delivers on the airport, the governor is hugely committed to the delivery of massive road infrastructure development in the state.
He said the pace of work ongoing simultaneously across many towns and rural areas in all divisions of the state are clear indication of the commitment of the governor to the development of the state.
Oyedele said though the Ministry established last year having been upgraded from a department under the Ministry of Works, the Ministry has started a number of initiatives aimed at ramping up on the promotion of intermodal transportation in the state.
He said: “We at the Osun State Ministry of Transportation is happy to be at this conference which is organised by the foremost chartered institute of transportation in the country. We are willing and ready to learn from the only state in Nigeria, which is Lagos, that has been doing everything right as regards transportation. Irrespective of the fact that we are just a little over a year, our strides are everywhere because we have a governor who is a damned good administrator of men and resources.”
Oyedele said the Adeleke administration has turned Osun State into a huge construction yard, adding that the Adeleke administration is determined to leave huge transportation footprints in the state.