BEHOLD! HOW GOVERNOR OYEBANJI SPOILT EKITI INTERNATIONAL CARGO AIRPORT!
By Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq.
Egbawa ooooo!
Ò ti ṣe ní Ekiti ooooo!
Haaaaaaa!
Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has committed a grievous offence at the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, Ado-Ekiti!
And surprisingly, nobody is complaining!
Not the airline operators!
Not the hoteliers!
Not the tourism practitioners!
Not even the business community!
Haba!
What manner of offence could make the supposed victims smile instead of protesting?
Before I expose the Governor’s offence, let me tell you the story of Akogbatugbaka!
Yes!
Akogba-tu-gba-ka!
Once upon a time, a hardworking farmer set out early in the morning with his hoe, determined to make 200 heaps before sunset.
Two hundred!
Not twenty!
Not fifty!
Two hundred!
In those days, farming was a battle between human energy and stubborn soil.
No tractors!
No mechanisation!
Just the farmer, his hoe and his determination.
But our farmer had a little secret.
A container of taba, a traditional tobacco preparation he regarded as his personal stimulant.
Before commencing work, he applied a little to his tongue, dropped the container on the ground and began making his heaps.
Gba!
One!
Gba!
Two!
Gba!
Three!
And the battle continued!
His hoe rose and fell.
The soil surrendered.
The heaps multiplied!
By evening, he had accomplished his mission.
Two hundred heaps!
Haaaa!
What a hardworking man!
Exhausted but satisfied, he sat beneath a tree and reached for his precious taba.
Nothing!
He searched his pockets.
Nothing!
He looked around.
Nothing!
Then he remembered!
He had dropped the container before making his first heap!
Unfortunately, he had buried it!
But under which heap?
He could not remember!
And so began another assignment.
He approached the 200th heap.
Gba!
He scattered it!
Nothing!
The 199th!
Gba!
Nothing!
The 198th!
Nothing!
One after another, he demolished the very heaps he had spent the entire day constructing.
Until he reached the first heap!
Gba!
And there was his container!
Haaaaaaa!
AKOGBATUGBAKA!
The man who made 200 heaps and scattered them all in search of what he had buried at the beginning!
What a spectacular example of wasted effort!
And what has this ancient farming fable got to do with Governor Oyebanji and Ekiti Airport?
Plenty!
Governor Oyebanji understands what Akogbatugbaka failed to appreciate.
It is not enough to build something. You must provide what will make it function effectively!
An airport is not merely a runway, terminal building or control tower.
Its value lies in the aircraft it attracts, the passengers it carries, the cargo it handles and the economic activities it generates.
That is why the commissioning of an aviation fuel depot at Ekiti Airport through a Public-Private Partnership with Reeve Energy Nigeria Limited deserves more attention than the ceremony itself.
The Governor has addressed an important operational limitation!
Before now, aircraft operating into Ekiti had to make additional fuel provisions because they could not refuel locally.
And fuel has weight!
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Nigeria Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, explained that this situation had affected the airline’s operational flexibility and, sometimes, permissible passenger capacity.
Imagine an aircraft with available seats but unable to carry its potential passenger load because of fuel-related weight considerations!
With local refuelling now available, airlines can plan more efficiently, potentially carry additional passengers and reduce certain operating costs.
This is significant!
And it becomes even more interesting when considered alongside Professor Okonkwo’s announcement that United Nigeria Airlines intends to commence daily flights into Ekiti.
Now, let us examine the tourism implications!
Daily flights, if sustained, could improve Ekiti’s accessibility for business travellers, tourists, conference delegates and investors.
Imagine an Abuja family planning a weekend at Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort.
Imagine tourists arriving to explore Arinta Waterfalls, Ugele Rock Shelter, Olosunta Hills and other attractions.
Imagine organisations choosing Ado-Ekiti for conferences and corporate retreats because participants can travel more conveniently.
Think of the implications for hotel occupancy, restaurants, tour operators, transport providers, local guides and small businesses!
This is where aviation connectivity becomes relevant to tourism development.
And there is another possibility.
If Ekiti offers reliable aviation fuel at competitive prices, the airport could attract additional airline and charter operations seeking convenient refuelling services.
Its potential competitive position among Southwest airports, outside Lagos, deserves serious examination.
But fuel availability alone is not enough.
Pricing, safety, operational convenience and dependable supply will determine whether this advantage translates into additional aviation business.
HOTELIERS! TOUR OPERATORS! THIS CONCERNS YOU!
The Governor cannot personally fill your hotel rooms!
He cannot become your travel agent!
Neither can he stand at the airport distributing tourism packages to arriving passengers!
Haba!
The private sector must respond!
We need flight-and-hotel packages.
We need reliable airport transfers.
We need organised excursions to our attractions.
We need weekend holiday offers and conference packages.
And we need effective collaboration between airlines, hotels and destination marketers.
An aircraft bringing passengers into Ekiti is only the beginning. What those passengers do, where they stay and how much they spend constitute the real tourism opportunity!
That is the visitor economy.
The proposed introduction of cargo operations by United Nigeria Airlines in January 2027 adds another dimension.
It connects aviation with agriculture, commerce and agro-tourism.
Our proposition becomes even more relevant:
FLY! FARM! TASTE! STAY! EXPLORE!
Fly into Ekiti!
Experience our farms!
Taste our agricultural products and cuisine!
Stay in our hotels!
Explore our natural and cultural attractions!
And discover investment opportunities!
With appropriate cargo infrastructure, the airport could also facilitate the movement of agricultural produce to wider markets.
This is particularly important for a state positioning agriculture, tourism and investment as complementary economic opportunities.
And Governor Oyebanji is not stopping at aviation fuel.
He has disclosed ongoing work on the Instrument Landing System and Aerodrome Ground Lighting, with the lighting project expected to cost more than ₦10 billion.
There are also plans for an Independent Power Project.
When completed and certified, these facilities could support extended flight operations and improve scheduling flexibility.
Now, think about the combination!
Aviation fuel!
More convenient refuelling!
Proposed daily flights!
Planned cargo operations!
Improved navigational and lighting infrastructure!
And a more reliable electricity supply!
Haaaaaaa!
NOW YOU CAN UNDERSTAND MY ALLEGATION!
Governor Oyebanji has spoilt Ekiti Airport!
Yes!
He has spoilt it!
But not by damaging its runway or frustrating its operators.
He has spoilt it the way a caring parent lavishes attention on a cherished child!
He is attending to its needs!
Removing operational discomfort!
Providing facilities that can improve its performance!
And creating opportunities for greater commercial activity!
An airport that previously lacked local refuelling now has a fuel depot.
An airline that faced fuel-related operational constraints is planning daily services.
An airport conceived to support agro-allied commerce now has an airline proposing dedicated cargo operations.
And further investments are being pursued to improve its operating capacity.
If this is not spoiling an airport with attention, what else should we call it?
Haaaaaaa!
OYEBANJI HAS SPOILT EKITI AIRPORT SILLY!
But there is a difference between spoiling a child and spoiling an economic asset.
Indulgence can make a child dependent.
Appropriate investment can make an airport productive!
And that is the positive meaning of my allegation.
Of course, the ultimate success will not be measured by the commissioning of facilities alone.
It will be measured by sustainable flight operations, passenger traffic, cargo volumes, hotel bookings, visitor expenditure and employment.
That responsibility belongs to the government, airline operators, tourism practitioners and the wider business community.
Now, remember Akogbatugbaka!
He made 200 heaps and scattered them because he had buried something essential beneath the first one.
Governor Oyebanji is taking a different route.
Rather than allow an operational deficiency to diminish the value of the airport investment, his administration has moved to address it.
Akogbatugbaka scattered what he built in search of his stimulant!
Oyebanji is providing what can stimulate the airport to deliver greater economic value!
One destroyed his heaps!
The other is strengthening an investment!
Haaaaaaa!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I have accused Governor Oyebanji of spoiling Ekiti Airport!
He has spoilt it with attention!
He has spoilt it with enabling infrastructure!
He has spoilt it with opportunities for aviation, tourism, agriculture and commerce!
And if these opportunities are properly harnessed, the greatest beneficiaries will not be the aircraft.
They will be the people of Ekiti State!
That is how Governor Oyebanji has spoilt Ekiti Airport silly!
And this is one kind of spoiling that can produce a healthy economic return!
Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq.
Barrister-at-Law | Journalist I Destination Developer | Teacher I
Sun Natha-Alade & Partners
Amubikahun Street, Behind Lister House
Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State
19 October 2026