My policies, projects public-driven, says Adeleke

Justifies relocation of Osun Airport project to Ede

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, yesterday, said that policies and projects implemented by his administration in the last two years had been driven by public interest.

He said that his leadership would deepen consultation and interaction with the citizenry to further enhance the socio-economic development of the state and create opportunities for the people to enjoy democratic dividends.

Adeleke, who pledged during a state-wide broadcast as part of the activities to commemorate his second anniversary in office, said: “We have acted only in public interest in the last two years. We will sustain our responsiveness and respect for the wills and aspirations of the people.”

The governor said that the two years had been deeply rewarding for his team as it strives to fulfil the mandate entrusted to it by the people of Osun State.
Adeleke, while expressing gratitude to the people of the state for the opportunity to serve, said that his achievements and programmes underscore his commitment to transparency and good governance.

However, the governor, yesterday, said that his administration discontinued the current MKO Abiola International Airport, Ido-Osun, and relocated it to his hometown because the old site is unsuitable for a full-fledged airport.

A member of the Osun Airport Technical Committee, Lai Oriowo, who justified the government’s decision to move the airport to the Akoda area of Ede, said that the Ido-Osun site is not spacious enough to accommodate the airport.

Oriowo said that several past administrations took one step or the other on the airport project, adding that the last government of Gboyega Oyetola actually “ceded the project and the site to the Air Force.”

He said when Adeleke’s government came on board, it set up a technical committee that discovered that the existing runway, which is 1.67km, did not meet the required standard. He said that the minimum runway for a standard airport is 4.8km.