Despite Denial, Gov. Adeleke Secretly Renames MKO Abiola Int’l Airport, Ido Osun After Late Brother

Despite the earlier denial, there were indications that the Osun State Government has renamed the proposed State Airport in Ido Osun from MKO International Airport to Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke International Airport.

Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke was the first civilian governor and the late elder brother of the state governor, Ademola Adeleke.

Osun Defender had reported that Adeleke renamed the airport when he set up an inter-ministerial committee that would look into its construction.

But a statement from one of the aides of the governor debunked the renaming of the airport.

However, in a press statement on Friday, debunking allegations that the government was trying to rename the location of the airport from Ido Osun to Ede North, the airport committee referred to the airport as the ‘Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke Airport’ instead of MKO Abiola International Airport.

The statement signed by the secretary of the committee, Mrs Modupe Irelewuyi, noted that “The Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke Airport Committee of the Osun State Government has debunked statement credited to the Ido Osun Youth Forum about an alleged plan to rename the location of the airport from Ido Osun to Ede North, stressing that its mandate and discussion never covered issues painted in the forum’s article.”

Apart from the airport, the governor had also named the Oke-Fia to Olaiya road, ‘Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke Way’.

Also, the Governor while forming his cabinet named one of the wives of his late brother, Mrs Folashade Adeleke as Commissioner for Federal Matters, while his nephew, Tunji Adeleke (Jnr), was appointed as the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission.

Also, the statue at the roundabout at the front of the state secretariat has been changed to that of the late Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke.

Meanwhile, residents of the state have frowned at the renaming of the airport after the former governor.

The residents who spoke with Osun Defender said the Governor was trying to make the government an ‘Ede’ agenda, asking him to note that he is exercising the mandate of the people of Osun State and not Ede alone.

A resident who identified himself as Oladele Abioye said, “The governor is making everything about Ede.”

“Look at his cabinet and the appointments he has made since he came in. The majority of them are for Ede. Even the proposed infrastructural projects, Ede was allocated the bulk of it.

“Is it only the Ede people that voted for him? What he doesn’t know is that people are watching him, and when the time comes, he will see the results of his actions.”

Efforts to get a reaction from the Spokesperson to the Governor on why the name change was shrouded in secrecy proved abortive as messages sent to his line were not replied, neither did phone calls to him were picked or returned, at the time of filing this report.