As the holiday season approaches, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu faces a simple but consequential decision: reopen the newly upgraded Ibadan Airport for commercial flights before the Christmas and New Year travel rush begins.

The airport, which recently hosted the President’s entourage during the Olubadan coronation, sits idle for ordinary citizens. While private jets ferry senior administration officials and top APC members with ease, millions of Nigerians remain forced onto perilous roads, risking kidnappings, violent robberies, and accidents along the Lagos-Ibadan corridor—one of the country’s busiest and most dangerous highways.

Keeping the airport closed sends an unmistakable message: safety is reserved for the powerful, while the public bears the risk. Opening the airport would reduce traffic along the corridor, disrupt criminal operations, and ease pressure on overstretched security agencies who are already responding to banditry, terrorism, communal violence, and urban crime across Nigeria.

The Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development argues that further certification and technical work are needed. Nigerians value safety and understand due process. Yet the contradictions are clear: how is the airport safe for the President, federal ministers, and senior APC officials, but not for commercial passengers? The perception is that partisanship—not public welfare—is guiding federal infrastructure decisions.

Many in Oyo State view the delay as politically motivated, given that the state government is led by the opposition. Such perceptions erode public trust and reinforce the idea that infrastructure is being used as leverage for partisan advantage.

President Tinubu has the authority to change this narrative. A directive to accelerate certification, mobilize the NCAA, and open the airport for commercial flights would demonstrate leadership that prioritizes national interest over party politics. It would provide safer travel options, reduce avoidable stress for families, and strengthen national security.

A functioning Ibadan Airport supports economic activity in the South West, ensures equity across states, and protects citizens during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year. Nigerians should not have to choose between dangerous road travel and being away from their families when the airport is ready to serve them.

Now is the time to open Ibadan Airport for commercial use.

— Sunday Ogunlana, Ph.D., AIGP, CISSP, CISO, CIPP/US