Stakeholders in Ekiti, Osun and Ondo states are calling for the revival of moribund state-owned industries to tackle unemployment, stimulate economic growth and reduce the states’ dependence on the civil service.
They said the restoration of abandoned factories, agro-allied projects and other industrial assets could unlock local resources, attract private investment and create direct and indirect jobs, but warned that policy inconsistency, poor management, inadequate infrastructure, unreliable power supply and high operating costs had contributed to the collapse of many industries across the three states.
The stakeholders made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, noting that the remains of once-thriving industries across the South-West represented lost economic opportunities and underscored the need for deliberate industrialization policies.
In Ekiti, the state’s economy has historically been largely driven by the civil service, while several government-owned agricultural, industrial and tourism projects have been abandoned, underfunded or poorly managed.
Among them is the Ikun Dairy Farm in Moba Local Government Area, which was established as a major dairy and livestock project but remained abandoned for more than 40 years due to a lack of equipment, cattle and working capital.
The multi-million-naira poultry farms initiative, which involved the construction of wooden-shed poultry units across the state’s 16 local government areas under the administration of former Governor Ayodele Fayose, also collapsed.
The Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort and other tourism and community assets have similarly been identified as abandoned flagship projects requiring commercial and technical viability assessments.
Stakeholders attributed the decline of the industries to inadequate infrastructure, unreliable electricity, insecurity, limited private-sector participation and poor management.
An Ekiti-based entrepreneur, Mr Segun Ibitola, urged the state government to further upgrade the Ikun Dairy Farm to internationally acceptable standards to enable it to generate export revenue.
Ibitola said the farm was among the best in the 1980s and 1990s, producing milk that was sold at affordable prices to people in rural communities.
However, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Industries, Trade and Investment, Mrs Omotayo Adeola, said the government was placing greater emphasis on strengthening Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, while creating conditions for the revival of viable industries.
Adeola said the state government remained committed to providing a conducive business environment through sound policies, infrastructure development and technical assistance to help businesses grow.
She cited the Ekiti-Egypt Industrial Investment Mission held in July 2026, which secured potential investments worth up to $500 million, as an example of the administration’s efforts to attract investment.
According to her, the areas of interest include agriculture, agro-processing, commercial farming, seed production, textiles, manufacturing and solid minerals.
She said the immediate priority was to convert expressions of interest into concrete investments through site visits, commercial agreements, capital deployment and the establishment of factories. Adeola also disclosed that a 76 per cent stake in Ikun Dairy Farm had been sold to Promasidor Nigeria Ltd.
“Ikun Dairy Farm is now operational for the first time in 40 years, producing over 80,000 litres of milk per month, with a full-capacity target of 10,000 litres per day and $5 million in new investment for equipment, cattle and an out-grower feed scheme,” she said.
The commissioner added that the Ikogosi Warm Springs had secured an agreement with Irin Ajo Travels and Tours and Future Africa to take over and operate the facility.
She also listed other Public-Private Partnership initiatives that she said were now operational, including FMS Farms, JMK Foods, Promise Point, AROG Ltd., Stallion Group and Egbeja Snail Village.
“On agriculture, YSJ Farms is now operating, processing and packaging Igbemo Ofada rice, cassava, yam, maize and other products. Off-takers now come from Lagos, Ondo, Osun and Kwara, with more than 1,000 youth farmers engaged,” she said.
Adeola said the National Bureau of Statistics had recorded Ekiti as having the lowest food inflation rate in Nigeria, attributing the development to increased agricultural activity in the state.
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She said the administration had also revived the Awolowo-era farm settlements, with three Renewed Hope Farm Dormitories commissioned in Eporo, Iyemero and Ikere, while 13 additional facilities had been created.
According to her, the government was leveraging infrastructure development to create an enabling environment for the revival of old industries and the establishment of new ones.
“There is a clear-cut policy to revisit the commercial and technical viability of abandoned projects, security infrastructure to make Ekiti safe for investment, as well as a $1.6 million 350KW hydropower and 7.5MW gas turbine project that has been approved, alongside solar and metering programmes,” she said.
The Ekiti State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Ebenezer Boluwade, said the state’s focus was on developing agricultural value chains to strengthen the economy.
“We want to build agricultural value chains where farmers have reliable markets, processors have access to the volumes and quality they require, and more of the value created from our agricultural resources remains within Ekiti.
“Connecting production to industry is central to our food security, employment and economic development agenda,” he said.
In Osun, an economist at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Dr Clement Olaniyi, urged the state government to prioritize the revival of local industries and establishment of new ones to address rising unemployment.
Olaniyi, a senior lecturer, said government could not provide jobs for everyone but should strengthen secondary, technical and tertiary institutions with modern equipment and facilities to enable young people to acquire relevant skills and become self-reliant.
He urged the government to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship by providing infrastructure and social amenities, while implementing measures to reduce the cost of doing business.
The economist said inadequate electricity supply and rising production costs had forced many businesses to spend heavily on generators, diesel and petrol, thereby reducing their profitability.
Similarly, the South-West Zonal Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, Mr Wale Balogun, said Nigeria was facing serious unemployment and production challenges.
“A country that revives its factories, mines, farms, processing plants and manufacturing capacity can create millions of direct and indirect jobs.
The ultimate objective should be simple: use government resources to build an economy that creates jobs, rather than an economy that merely creates contracts,” he said.
Balogun called for a deliberate effort to revive strategic industries, particularly in sectors such as textiles, steel, vehicle assembly, machine tools and petrochemicals.
Also, Mr Suleimon Oyeniyi, Lead Consultant at the Centre for Economic Development, urged the state government to deploy its land and mineral resources to drive industrialization, reduce import dependence and create mass employment for young people.
“For too long, we have exported jobs and imported poverty. The solution is right here under our soil and in our farms. We are sitting on wealth but buying back finished products,” he said.
Oyeniyi said policy consistency, infrastructure and access to financing would enable the government to transform the state’s natural resources into productive industries.
The Osun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Kolapo Alimi, said the revival of local industries was one of the major components of the administration’s economic development agenda.
He said the government was working to attract investors to establish new industries across the state, adding that its interventions had stimulated activities around existing industries while creating opportunities for further investment and job creation.
“The government has been deliberate in reviving our local industries and creating an environment where new industries can also come in. The government wants to see industries operating, employing our people and contributing meaningfully to the economy of the state,” he said.
In Ondo, Mr Niyi Adesokan, a former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees Okitipupa Local Government chapter, urged the state government to prioritize the revival of moribund industries, including Okitipupa Oil Palm Plc and Oluwa Glass Industry in Igbokoda.
Adesokan said reviving the industries would create employment opportunities for graduates entering an already expanding labour market and help reduce unemployment among young people.
He also urged the state government to judiciously deploy increased federal allocations to infrastructure and other projects that would directly benefit residents.
“I want the state government to give priority to the resuscitation of all the moribund industries in the state, like Okitipupa Oil Palm and Oluwa Glass Industry, Igbokoda.
“The reawakening of dead or moribund industries will create more jobs for our graduates and reduce the number of job seekers among our youths. This will eventually reduce the crime rate in our society,” Adesokan said.
However, Mr Ebenezer Adeniyan, Chief Press Secretary to the Ondo State governor, said Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was driving the state’s economic transformation through strategic investments and policy reforms.
Adeniyan said the administration had continued to attract major investments, including the Ondo Deep Sea Port, refinery, Free Trade Zone and fertiliser plant.
He said the government’s economic policies were aimed at making the state an attractive investment destination where businesses could thrive, create jobs and diversify the state’s revenue base, while supporting small and medium-scale enterprises and agro-processing industries.
According to him, the reforms had contributed significantly to the return of the Dangote Group to the state, with plans to establish what would become Nigeria’s largest industrial zone. He added that the government had revived some moribund industries through PPP arrangements.
“The state has signed Memoranda of Understanding on the revival of industries such as Ifon Ceramics, Oluwa Glass and Okitipupa Oil Palm. The government also has another company establishing an independent power plant in the state. “As of today, about seven moribund industries are being revived through PPP arrangements,” he said.
Adeniyan said the state had also signed several investment agreements, including a proposed 500,000-barrels-per-day refinery, a 1,471-hectare Free Trade Zone in Ilaje, and a $4 billion petrochemical, fertiliser and cement project.
He added that the state had entered into a $50 billion investment agreement involving Backbone Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd. and Sunshine Infrastructure JV to accelerate industrial development.
Similarly, the Vice Chairman of the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency, Mr Emmanuel Omomowo, said the government was implementing policies aimed at reviving moribund industries, attracting new investments and expanding the state’s industrial base.
Omomowo said the state was opening multiple sectors of its economy to domestic and foreign investors, including agriculture, the blue economy, bitumen, oil, solid minerals and silicon sand.
He said the government was committed to creating a seamless and investor-friendly business environment by reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks and promoting ease of doing business.
According to him, the government was also strengthening collaboration with the private sector through PPPs to promote transparency, attract long-term capital and ensure the sustainability of major investment projects.
NAN
