Edo Government and PDP Clash Again Over Governor Okpebholo's Airline Proposal

Edo State Government and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state have renewed their verbal hostility over the former’s planned establishment of a State-owned Airline.

DAILY POST reports that the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo had during a meeting with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo on Thursday, January 22, 2026, in Abuja announced the State’s plan to float Edo Air.

Okpebholo opined that the proposed Edo Air initiative is a strategic project of the State Government aimed at strengthening the state’s aviation ecosystem, improving air connectivity, stimulating economic activities, and opening new investment opportunities across the state.

Commenting on the project, the Edo State chapter of the PDP described the initiative as an ill-conceived proposal, a textbook example of misplaced priorities and yet another exposure of a government profoundly disconnected from the urgent realities confronting the Edo people.

A statement by Dan Osa-Ogbegie, Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party in Edo State noted that the idea of establishing an airline is not only unrealistic but also profoundly insensitive at a time when the State is grappling with decaying infrastructure, worsening urban conditions, and stalled strategic projects.

Osa-Ogbegie added that running an airline is capital-intensive, technically demanding, and historically disastrous for most sub-national governments in Nigeria.

He also added that it requires massive upfront investment, continuous subsidies, and world-class operational competence, none of which the Edo State Government presently demonstrates.

While noting that Edo State does not need an airline to fly above its problems, the party stated that it needs a government prepared to confront the problems squarely on the ground.

He posited that the development begins with fixing the basics, restoring confidence, and pursuing realistic, people-centred priorities.

The party called on the State Government to immediately jettison “this ill-advised airline fantasy and redirect its focus to the pressing needs of Edo people.

He said anything less only reinforces the growing perception of a government without direction, seriousness, competence, or a coherent development agenda.

According to him, Benin City, the capital of Edo State, has regrettably become a shadow of what a state capital should be in a modern federation compared with other state capitals across Nigeria. Benin City today presents an unbelievably bucolic and embarrassing outlook.

“Roads within the metropolis are largely impassable, urban planning has collapsed, drainage systems are neglected, and basic municipal services are either weak or completely absent. This is a crying shame for a city with Benin’s history, heritage, and enormous potential.

“Critical state assets and initiatives which this administration met in pristine or near-functional conditions are already in visible decline. The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), once projected as a flagship cultural and tourism driver, is grounded. The Radisson Hotel project has stagnated at virtually the same level for months.

“The Ossiomo power project, which should be energising industrial growth, is drifting dangerously towards a comatose state. EdoGIS, a revenue-critical land administration institution, is almost non-existent in its impact, efficiency, and credibility. These failures strike at the very heart of development, jobs, revenue generation, and investor confidence, yet they remain largely unaddressed.

“Rather than confront these glaring failures, Governor Monday Okpebholo has displayed an uncanny penchant for indulging in white elephant projects that offer optics without substance. The ongoing flyovers at Ramat Park and Adesuwa Junction on Sapele Road exemplify this tendency.

“These are expensive, poorly prioritised interventions in a city desperately in need of comprehensive road rehabilitation, drainage solutions, traffic management, and coherent urban renewal.

“This fixation on ground but misaligned projects only reinforces the reality of an administration that was never adequately prepared for the rigours of governance and now appears rudderless, reactive, and bereft of ideas beyond headline-chasing spectacles.

“Against this bleak backdrop, the sudden announcement of plans to float a state airline is not merely unserious; it is diversionary and cretinous. When roads in the metropolis are barely motorable, when public transport is chaotic, when healthcare facilities are overstretched, when schools lack basic infrastructure, and when security remains fragile, proposing an airline betrays a frightening absence of judgment, economic sense, and development logic.

“The Edo PDP firmly believes that scarce state revenues should be channelled into areas with direct, broad-based impact: comprehensive rehabilitation of urban and inter-city roads; modern drainage and flood-control systems; revitalisation of public schools and hospitals; reliable power and water supply.

“Support for small and medium-scale enterprises; youth skills acquisition and job creation; security architecture; and the completion and optimisation of existing strategic projects already commenced with public funds”, he said.