OYOGist.com has learned that the Nigerian Air Force has declared its readiness to partner with the Oyo state government to expand the Ibadan Airport in a bid to station additional C-130H tactical transport aircraft in the Southwest region amidst the recent security challenges in the country.
Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, made this known on Wednesday, during a courtesy visit to Governor Seyi Makinde in his office as part of activities for his operational visit to Ibadan.
Air marshal Sadique Abubakar, explained that he had visited the air force base in Ibadan to identify gaps in its organizational structures and planned to boost its operational capacity in the South West to empower the nation’s air power.
He applauded the plans by Governor Seyi Makinde to expand the Ibadan airport and noted that the Air Force would partner with the state government as the airport expansion would afford its C-130H aircraft operational base in Ibadan.
According to Air Marshal Abubakar, plans to address structural operational strategies of the air force across various units in the country in response to the nation’s security exigencies are ongoing.
In his response, Governor Seyi Makinde said the attempt to identify a structural gap in the air force would contribute to addressing national security challenges while maintaining that the Ibadan airport expansion project was still on course as entry and exit roads around the airport environs were equally being fixed.
The Governor also promised to support the air force comprehensive school in Ibadan in addressing some of its social infrastructure deficits, particularly, electricity supply.
