By Kayode Adebiyi
There is a growing trend among state governments to initiate ambitious airport infrastructure projects, regardless of their economic viability.
From cargo airports to international terminals, governors across the country have presented these projects as symbols of development, economic expansion, and modernisation.
However, critics increasingly argue that many of these airports are turning into “white elephant” projects, because they are expensive infrastructure that delivers little practical value while consuming enormous public funds.
Recently, Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo said at a gathering of representatives of friendly nations and international institutions that the state government collected a net allocation of between N700 billion and N800 billion monthly.
His revelation aligns with figures from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FACC), which show that allocations to subnational governments have risen significantly.
For instance, compared to February 2025, they saw about 23 per cent increment in their revenues from FAAC in February 2026.
On average, FAAC revenues have almost tripled since the subsidy was removed on May 29, 2023.
However, the debate about the impact of these revenues has intensified as the country faces rising poverty, unemployment, inflation, inadequate healthcare, a struggling education system, and poor infrastructure.
An analysis of media content shows that many citizens are questioning whether the billions of naira spent on airports could have been better invested in sectors that directly improve their welfare.
Some of the airport projects already commissioned operate significantly below capacity, while others under construction remain abandoned.
A case in hand is the Ebonyi International Airport initiated during the administration of former governor David Umahi.
Reports indicate that, after spending N63 billion and five years (2019–2024), the airport generated no revenue, while additional billions were spent fixing defective runways and leaking terminal roofs.
Similarly, the Lafia Cargo Airport in Nasarawa State has attracted criticism after reports revealed that the facility remained largely abandoned years after its commissioning, having gulped a whopping N15 billion.
There are many other such projects dormant, abandoned, under construction or proposed, in Abia, Kogi, Osun, Benue, Taraba and Cross Rivers, among others.
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A civil servant based in Abuja, who simply identified himself as Dele, referred to airport projects by states as misplaced priorities.
“There is an airport in Akure, which is already underutilised. Akure to Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, is under 45 minutes’ drive. Please, what does the government need an airport for?
“Also, Osogbo (Osun capital) is just under 90 minutes’ drive to Ibadan, where there is an airport, also already underutilised. Oyo is bigger and more strategic than Osun, yet its airport is not used to full capacity.
“What then is the guarantee that an airport in Osun will be more viable than the one in Ibadan?” he queried.
Like Dele, some stakeholders warned that multiple airports in neighbouring locations could struggle to attract enough passenger traffic to remain viable.
Sen. Smart Adeyemi, former Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, once warned that many state governments were embarking on wasteful airport projects while neglecting citizens’ welfare.
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According to him, many states will benefit more from smaller and cheaper airstrips rather than full-scale airports costing tens of billions of naira.
He said that most of the airports owned by states were a waste of public funds as they lack adequate technical capacity and passenger flow.
