Tayo Mabeweje: From Awolowo’s chalkboard to Abiodun’s Runway; history takes off at Gateway International Airport
Long before the hum of jet engines began to echo over the quiet skies of Iperu, there was once the rhythmic sound of chalk against a blackboard. In that modest classroom, where the scent of chalk dust mingled with the afternoon breeze, a young boy named Dapo Abiodun sat among his peers, his eyes fixed on his teacher, who spoke with passion about a man who had changed the destiny of the Western Region — Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
The teacher’s voice carried reverence. He spoke of Awolowo’s genius, his courage, his unyielding belief that progress was not a privilege but a right. He told the story of how Awolowo brought to life the first television station in Africa, the first free education policy, and the first industrial estate in Nigeria. Each achievement was painted as a pillar of light — a testament that a leader’s vision could transform generations.
The young Dapo listened, heart pounding with curiosity. The tale of Awolowo’s “firsts” was not merely history to him; it was prophecy waiting for a vessel. The teacher, with every stroke of chalk, unknowingly etched a dream into the mind of the boy who would one day carry that same torch — the dream to write his own chapter of firsts in the story of Ogun State.
That boy is now Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, the Governor of Ogun State. And the dream his teacher unknowingly planted is about to take flight — literally. On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the Gateway International Airport, Iperu–Ilishan, will welcome its first commercial flight, operated by ValueJet Airlines.
This moment will not merely be about the take-off of an aircraft. It will be the take-off of a vision — a moment when Ogun’s sky will mirror the limitless ambition of its people.
It is said that “dreams are the seedlings of reality,” a timeless truth from James Allen that captures the essence of this moment. For years, the idea of Ogun having its own international airport was spoken of like a distant star — admired, discussed, but seemingly unreachable. Yet, as all visionaries know, dreams may sleep, but they never die; they wait for the right dreamer to awaken them.
Prince Dapo Abiodun became that dreamer.
From the moment he assumed office, he saw not what was, but what could be. The airfield that once lay bare in Iperu’s red soil became, in his mind’s eye, a gateway of opportunity. He believed that if Lagos could have its Murtala Muhammed Airport and Abuja could have Nnamdi Azikiwe International, then Ogun — the Gateway State — deserved an airport that would open its doors to the world.
His conviction was clear: Ogun must no longer serve as a passage; it must become a destination.
When the first bulldozers rolled in, the sceptics rolled out. Some called it political theatre, others labelled it an impossible dream. But as Nelson Mandela once reminded the world, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Abiodun’s answer to doubt was diligence. Through heat, rain, and bureaucratic hurdles, he pressed forward — quietly, steadily, relentlessly. He was building not just an airport but a metaphor — the physical embodiment of what Ogun could achieve when guided by purpose and precision.
Today, the Gateway International Airport stands as a symbol of that determination. Its four-kilometre runway, its state-of-the-art control tower, its cargo and passenger terminals, and its safety and firefighting facilities all speak of a vision executed with excellence. Licensed for commercial operations by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the airport is ready for the skies.
The ValueJet aircraft that will take off on October 7, 2025, will carry not only passengers but pride — the pride of a state that has refused to be defined by proximity to greatness but by participation in it.
As Governor Abiodun himself once reflected, “This is not merely an airport of steel and concrete. It is an airport of faith, dreams, and of our collective future.”
The truth of that statement runs deep. The Gateway International Airport is not just Ogun’s first; it is Ogun’s statement to the world — a declaration that the spirit of enterprise, resilience, and innovation that defines its people is alive and ascending.
As the countdown begins to that historic Tuesday, one can feel the hum of expectancy across the state. Hoteliers are preparing for guests. Journalists are polishing their lenses. The air is thick with anticipation — the kind that comes only when history is about to unfold.
And yet, this moment is more than infrastructure; it is lineage. The connection between Awolowo and Abiodun is more than geographical; it is ideological. Both men are architects of firsts. Awolowo gave his people education and industry; Abiodun gave his people wings.
They are bound by an invisible thread — that belief that progress is not an accident but an intentional act of governance.
When the first aircraft lifts from the runway on October 7, it will not just pierce the clouds; it will pierce doubt itself. For years, critics had scoffed at the idea of Ogun becoming an aviation hub. But as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
That is precisely what Abiodun has done. He has built not where others built, but where others believed it could not be done.
The Gateway International Airport is more than a terminal; it is a transformation — a bridge between the past and the future. It stands strategically between Lagos and Ibadan, two of West Africa’s largest economic corridors. With this project, Ogun State positions itself as a key logistics hub, easing congestion in Lagos while attracting investment and trade.
It will fuel the growth of the Special Agro-Processing Zone (SAPZ) nearby, enabling farmers and producers to export directly to global markets. It will stimulate tourism, commerce, and employment. From hospitality to transport, from small traders to multinational firms, the ripple effect of the airport’s operations will be felt across the state.
In this, Abiodun’s vision mirrors that of John F. Kennedy, who said, “We choose to go to the moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard.” The Gateway International Airport was not an easy choice. It was a bold one. But boldness, as history often shows, is the birthplace of legacy.
As the sun rises on October 7, the tarmac at Iperu–Ilishan will gleam like polished silver, ready to welcome the world. Somewhere in the crowd, perhaps an old teacher will stand among the onlookers, eyes moist with pride. He may whisper to himself, “He listened.” For in that moment, the lesson of decades past will come full circle — a lesson about greatness, about firsts, about daring to dream.
That is the poetry of destiny: a story that begins in a classroom and ends in the clouds.
When the ValueJet aircraft roars to life, the sound will carry meaning beyond its mechanics. It will be the sound of ambition validated, of patience rewarded, of a people finding flight. It will say to the sceptics, “We told you it could be done.” It will say to the dreamers, “Keep dreaming — it works.”
For every generation, there are those who build bridges and those who cross them. Awolowo built for his time; Abiodun builds for his. Both men, in their own ways, have ensured that Ogun State does not just exist in geography but in greatness.
As Walt Disney famously said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” On October 7, 2025, courage will take flight from Ogun’s soil, rising on the wings of vision and vindication.
And when that first aircraft fades into the horizon, it will leave behind more than vapour trails. It will leave behind a truth that no cynic can erase — that vision, when married to will, always finds its wings.
From Awolowo’s chalkboard to Abiodun’s runway, Ogun’s story continues. The dream once taught has now become tangible, roaring, ascending — a living monument of possibility.
The Gateway International Airport stands not only as infrastructure but as a metaphor. It tells the world that Ogun’s journey is not confined to the ground; it soars.
As the engines prepare, as the runway awaits, as the morning of October 7 draws near, one truth resounds across the state — Ogun is no longer waiting for opportunity. Ogun is now creating it.
And as the plane lifts into the skies of destiny, carrying the name Gateway across the clouds, it will also carry the echo of a timeless lesson first taught in that quiet Iperu classroom — that those who dream, and dare, will always define history.
Tayo Mabeweje
Senior Special Assistant on Media,
Office of the Governor,
Ogun State.
