Osun government has partnered with the Nigerian Air Force to build Africa’s first and largest aviation city in Ido-Osun.
Speaking at the official handing over of Osun Runway and Airport Corridor to the Nigerian Air Force by the Osun State Government, on Wednesday, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Oladayo Amao said this will kick start the numerous plans the NAF have for Osun state.
Amao, who was represented by the Principal Director, Air Force Research and Development Centre, Air Vice Marshall M. O. Onilede said, the aviation city is sequel to the relocation of the Research and Development Centre of the Force from Kaduna to Osogbo in 2021, in addition to the existing Nigerian Air Force Institute of Safety and a Special Operation Force Group at Ipetu-Ijesha.
“Furthermore the NAF intends to develop an aviation city in Osun State. Discussions are already ongoing with necessary foreign partners and work will commence as soon as agreement is reached.
“The project would include an aircraft manufacturing plant, a maintenance repair organisation and an unmanned aerial vehicle production centre amongst many others. It would be the first of its kind in the continent. The runway is therefore a critical requirement for these facilities. If we manufacture aircraft, there will be a need to test fly the aircraft.
“We are going to develop the runway, we are going to build a terminal that will be dual purpose. Instead of people going to Akure, Ibadan or Lagos to take a flight. Once that place is ready, it would be available for civil flight operations.”
Governor Gboyega Oyetola while handing over the official documents of the runway and airport corridor to the Chief of Air Staff, said his administration has taken the bull by the horns to ensure that the State keeps the dream of having an airport in Osun alive.
He stated that the handover ceremony signalled the beginning of another mutually-beneficial relationship with the Nigerian Air Force to speed up the construction and accelerate the completion of the airport.
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According to him, “As a government that is desirous of diversifying the State’s economy, we realized early enough that the completion of the Osun airport would aid our economic transformation efforts. We however became helpless when confronted with the humongous amount required to make the dream a reality, especially in the face of competing demands in a depressed economy.
“As a government given to creative alternatives to meet societal needs, we embarked on a diplomatic shuttle, first by visiting the Minister of Aviation and later the Chief of Air Staff, all in the quest to develop the airport corridor.
“Efforts of the State Government through the Ministry of Works and Transport resulted in several meetings and inspection visits by the officials of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Air force.
“Our visit to the Chief of Air Staff yielded positive results, and since then, the Chief of Air Staff has remained true to the commitment reached, first by relocating the Airforce Research and Development Centre, which I am told will carry out research into manned and unmanned aircraft, missiles, rockets and other war items, to Osun and later by requesting for 100 hectares of land along the airport corridor in Ido-Osun for the purpose of establishing an Air Force Base.
“However, we could only get 60 hectares along that axis for the Air Force Base in Ido-Osun. When we needed additional land, to accommodate parts of the Airforce Base project, specifically, the barracks, Osun Government approached the Nigerian Army.
