Why Osun govt changed controversial airport location – Report

The proposed relocation of the Osun State airport project from Ido Osun to Ede, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s hometown, has continued to spark tension in the state.

An executive summary put together by the committee saddled with the responsibility to see the actualisation of the airport, exclusively obtained by our correspondent, showed that the initial site of the airport in Ido-Osun failed basic aviation requirements.

This relocation move has also caused locals of Ido community to renew their age-long rivalry with Ede in the state as dwellers continued to raise their voices against the move to relocate the airport site.

The controversy follows a peaceful protest by Ido Osun residents earlier in the week, during which locals voiced their opposition to the relocation plan.

However, the 20-man committee headed by Isiaka Adetunji, who has insisted that technical and safety considerations prompted the decision, agreed to relocate the airport from Ido-Osun after the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development pointed out the need for 11 basic needs of the airport that must be met to ensure a successful airport citing in Osun State.

Some of the requirements include ”a very large expanse of land with a minimum of 7km distance between the airstrip and the airport; parallel runways for the two within the same land.”

Meanwhile, the technical review of the committee showed that the existing runway at Ido Osun constructed during Rauf Aregbesola’s tenure measured only 1.67km, far below the required size of 4.8km for a standard airport. Additionally, key facilities such as the terminal building and control tower were deemed to be improperly located.

The report also stated that aside from the existing runway which will require a minimum of an additional 750 meters more distance, it will also necessitate that the Adeleke Secondary School around the axis is pulled down as well as the displacement of some settlements close to the site.

The report read further, “The total area of the site was approximately estimated to be 3,871,806.34square meters (387.18 Ha). The existing runway which is 1.67km did not meet the required standard. The minimum runway for a standard airport is 4.8km.

“The runway length required for class 4E Aircraft is 3600 x 45m and the additional minimum distance of 750 meters on both approaches for Runway End Safety Area/Clearway for instrument runway is 5,100m against the available dimension of 3,250m.

“Citing the runway at this site (Old Aerodrome Site) therefore, will require relocation of Adeleke Secondary School and also the displacement of some settlements at the other end of the site.

“The existing culvert of 65 metres transversely located at different sections of the running route and open/fabricated drainage already constructed are not ideal for an Airport. The required length of the culvert across the runway should be 150m against 65m to cover both the runway width and its strip.

“The uncompleted Terminal Building, Control Tower Building, and Fire and Rescue buildings are wrongly located with reference to the runway.”

After the committee condemned Ido-Osun, it considered converting the state’s Free Trade Zone site, close to the earlier site, to that of an airport but the technical committee also noted that “the land is relatively flat.

It added, “No rock or mountain was observed except overgrown vegetation and River Osun that cut across the land and is relatively parallel to the proposed runway 04/22 orientation.”

The summary stated that “there are community settlements and buildings located at Ebun Oluwa Secondary School axis on the land and some uncompleted buildings built for the Free Trade Zone with a network of roads.”

However, either in Ido-Osun, Free Trade Zone or Ede areas of Osun state, aviation industry experts had at different times said the state does not need an airport.

The experts argued that if constructed, the airports might only successfully swell the number of unviable airports in the country constituting further pains in the neck of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.

Industry expert, John Ojukutu, said governors should rather repair the roads to the neighbouring or closest airports to their states and not waste public funds on “needless airports.”