President Bola Tinubu has implemented a series of name changes for select federal airports in Nigeria, according to an official memo released by the Federal Ministry of Aviation on June 1, 2023.
The directive, signed by Mrs. Joke Olatunji on behalf of the Director of Airport Operations, is part of the ongoing reforms within the aviation sector.
Among the airports affected, Maiduguri Airport has been renamed in honor of former President Muhammadu Buhari, while Port Harcourt Airport now bears the name of the late nationalist Obafemi Awolowo. Additionally, Nasarawa Airport has been dedicated to the memory of Usman Dan Fodio, the esteemed founder of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Further changes include the renaming of Benin Airport after the late Oba Akenzua II, Ebonyi Airport after the late Senate President Chuba Okadigbo, and Ibadan Airport after the late Premier of the old Western Region, Ladoke Akintola.
The comprehensive list of renamed airports is as follows:
Akure Airport – Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu
Benin Airport – Oba Akenzua II
Dutse Airport – Muhammad Nuhu Sanusi
Ebonyi Airport – Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo
Gombe Airport – Brigadier Zakari Maimalari
Ibadan Airport – Samuel Ladoke Akintola
Ilorin Airport – Gen. Tunde Idiagbon
Kaduna Airport – Hassan Usman Katsina
Maiduguri Airport – Gen. Mumammadu Buhari
Makurdi Airport – Joseph Sarwuan Tarka
Minna Airport – Mallam Abubakar Imam
Nassarawa Airport – Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio
Osubi Airport – Alfred Diete Spiff
Port Harcourt Airport – Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo
Yola Airport – Lamido Aliyu Mustapha
