Undoubtedly, the last four years of the Dapo Abiodun administration in Ogun State have been pockmarked by accolades from home and abroad. Governor Abiodun continues to breast the tape, from his investments in agriculture to infrastructure and other impactful sectors. Yet, he remains unassuming about everything, believing it is all in a day’s work.
And it has been raining deluges of accolades since March when the first commercial flight landed at the Gateway International Agro Cargo Airport along Iperu-Ilisan road in Ikenne local council. But weightier and more robust was the effusive praise showered on the governor by Adebayo Ogunlesi, an international businessman fondly called ‘The Man Who Bought Gatwick Airport’ who commended Abiodun for completing the fastest airport to be constructed anywhere in the world.
While being conducted around the airport, Ogunlesi said, “The place is fantastic. I told the governor I had never heard of any airport constructed so fast. In fact, when he told me, I had to bow because I have never heard of an airport built in two years, and the concept, the idea, the location, and the strategic nature of this airport are fantastic.
“These are exactly what we need in Nigeria; this will take Nigeria forward to the next century and beyond. I am ecstatic because, as the governor mentioned, the government’s role is to facilitate the development of the airport; the government has no interest in running airports. There are people whose businesses are to run airports, so we get it built and financed.”
Ogunlesi said the airport was built to international standard and is capable of taking any size of plane, noting: “The governor said once we get it built, we will find somebody who is in the business of running airport to come and manage it professionally and by the way, they will pay taxes to the government. So that will be good, that is the way things should be done. Think about the strategic location, right in the middle of Ogun State with access to two critical super highways. Think about all of the industrial facilities that can be built around this airport, all the jobs that will be created. I think Mr. Governor is visionary.”
For context, Ogunlesi entered the consciousness of today’s youths when he was referenced as a hard worker in one of Burna Boy’s hit singles. Beyond that, he gained global attention as ‘The Man Who Bought Gatwick Airport.’ In July 2006, he formed the private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a joint venture whose initial investors included Credit Suisse and General Electric. That year, GIP bought London City Airport. Three years later, GIP acquired the majority stake in London Gatwick Airport in a deal worth £1.455 billion. GIP also owns Edinburgh Airport and Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (an Italian open-access train operating company operating in high-speed rail transport), which they bought in 2012 and 2018, respectively.
