Throwback: How FG approved Ido-Osun as aviation training school

By Dr David Ogunsade

Why I do not want to dabble into the ongoing controversy over the issue of moving the planned Airport from Ido Osun to Egbedi,I want to state that it was an historical fact that what the Federal Ministry of Aviation approved was federal Aviation Training school and not a civil Airport as some people wanted to believe.

It was Chief Ebenezer Babatope, then the Minister of Transport and Aviation who got the approval for the establishment of Aviation Training school in Ido-Osun.

In fact the minister asked me as his special Assistant for transportation and Aviation matters to represent him at the third anniversary celebration of creation of Osun State in Osogbo being hosted then by the military Administrator Navy Commander Anthony Udofia.The minister also mandated me to disclose the good news of the approval to the public through the press.

While the news was received with jubilation in Osogbo, our people in the North took it as a serious set-back especially Emir of Zazau who felt that the move was deliberate action by the Minister to remove the Federal Aviation Training School in Zaria to Ido-Osun in Osun state.

It generated a lot of unpleasant sentiments against the Minister and to cool the tension the Minister had to arrange a visit to Zaria which took almost a week and a lot of explanation that it was to complement the Zaria school and prepared facilities for the school to operate during the period of harmattan when planes cannot take-off and land easily as a result of bad weather in Zaria.

Soon afterwards, the contract to build the structures was awarded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Aviation to one Adeniran for #19 million out of which over #10millon was paid at once.

The Airport component of the Training school was scheduled to be commissioned by General Sani Abacha,then head of State in April 1995.This was not to be as a result of the irresponsibility on the part of the contractor.

He, the contractor, was only able to erect a building and abandoned his rented equipment on the site.

Dr David Ogunsade
Former Senior Special Assistant to the Federal Minister of Transport and Aviation
(1993-1995)