Osun’s Economic Future Hinges on Dagbolu, Not Just Roads -By Samuel Omofala

When Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, APC’s governorship candidate for the 2026 Osun election raised the issue of reviving the abandoned Dagbolu Inland Dry Port, he made a statement that altered the political discourse of the state. Before that moment, campaign promises seemed trivial: supporters of the incumbent governor focused on road infrastructure and the payment of civil servants’ salaries. Political discourse appeared to have forgotten perhaps the most important factor of every society: economic prosperity.

Yet the numbers tell a troubling story. Osun State attracted zero foreign direct investment in 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. In 2024, the state was again absent from the list of states that received any foreign capital. This represents a sharp decline from 2021, when the state attracted $26.9 million in foreign investment. For a state of its size and potential, these figures are unacceptable.

The reason for this poor performance is not unknown. Economic activities in Osun are low. The state consistently ranks near the bottom in Value Added Tax receipts. In 2024, Osun contributed N14.79 billion to the national VAT pool, one of the lowest in the country, ranking alongside banditry-invested states like Zamfara. This is a reflection of low consumption and low economic activity.

Infrastructure Without Purpose

Economic policy over the last few years has been built on a flawed reasoning that mere payment of salaries and building urban roads would unlock prosperity and create jobs. The governor’s trips and expenses courting investors have yielded no visible results to date. This shows there are underlying issues not yet addressed.

To be clear: road infrastructure is not bad; it is needed. But it is not the sole driver of economic growth. It is even more important to state that many of these projects were built for aesthetic purposes and were politically motivated, centred around major cities in the state. A number of these projects have been identified as badly constructed. Across the state, rural roads that connect farming settlements to markets remain in shambles, with little effort to reconstruct them. Bad rural roads increase food inflation by raising the cost of moving produce to market.

The gap between economic activity and the newly built road infrastructure is glaring. Traffic records on all the projects remain low. A road without traffic is not a sign of progress; it is a sign of misplaced priorities.

The Dagbolu Opportunity

Osun State, with its short distance from the Lagos-Ogun-Ibadan industrial cluster, sits in a position to supply that cluster with the raw materials and semi-finished products it needs. The Inland Dry Port allows goods to move to and from Lagos ports while bypassing the highway. This is an avenue to open Osun up for goods destined for neighbouring states such as Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara and beyond.

The history of the Dagbolu project is one of a promise abandoned. The project was initiated eight years ago under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola. In September 2020, Governor Gboyega Oyetola performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the 206-hectare International Trade Centre and Inland Port at Dagbolu, describing it as the first of its kind in the South-West region. The project was to include an Inland Dry Port, an Industrial Hub, an International Trade Centre, a Railway Platform and storage facilities.

Yet today, the project sits abandoned despite its enormous potential to attract companies building for the foreign market. With the Inland Dry Port, investors do not have to worry about logistical difficulties. Industries located in the free trade zone would employ locals and source materials from the state.  It is shocking why they have not been given priority over the years.

Putting Osun Human and Natural Resources into Use

Cocoa, maize and cassava are agricultural commodities with industrial application and value addition potential that are widely produced in the state. Osun’s gold and talc, among other minerals, can open up the state to new industries. The Dagbolu Dry Port and the Osun Free Trade Zone would provide the logistics and industrial base needed to process these resources locally rather than exporting them raw. Turning these resources into jobs and wealth requires a deliberate policy agenda.

In addition to reviving the Inland Dry Port and the Free Trade Zone, the state government can attract SMEDAN clusters where artisans produce under the same roof and enjoy amenities such as stable electricity. The state could also duplicate these clusters across local government areas. The latter approach places agency on the state government to deliver for its constituents in a manner that works best for the needs of each community. Technical and vocational education must also be prioritised. There is a need to supply these SME clusters and the Free Trade Zone with the talent needed to function properly. A factory cannot operate without skilled workers. An industrial hub cannot thrive without trained technicians.

Any credible agenda for Osun’s economic future must include training programmes for youths in information and communication technology through strategic partnerships. It must also strengthen the Osun State Investment Promotion Agency to attract investors and develop industrial parks with modern infrastructure. These are concrete commitments that address the root causes of Osun’s economic stagnation, regardless of which candidate proposes them.

The Right Approach

For a state like Osun, infrastructural development is not merely urban roads and flyovers. It is a network of logistics facilities that facilitate trade. Osun is largely agrarian, with a substantial workforce being artisans and MSME owners. Economic policy must be directed towards farmers and artisans. It is when these people earn that money circulates and more residents can afford vehicles to use the newly built roads.

Osun does not need more cosmetic projects but rather productive assets that generate wealth, create jobs and attract investment. The Dagbolu Inland Dry Port and the Osun Free Trade Zone represent exactly that kind of asset.

The 2026 election presents a choice between continuation of the current approach and a shift towards productive economic development. The electorates deserve an economic agenda that prioritises productive infrastructure, supports farmers and artisans, and finally puts the Dagbolu project to use. Oyebamiji who raised this issue did the state a service by bringing it into the conversation. Now it is up to the voters to ensure it does not remain just another abandoned promise.

Samuel Omofala, freelance journalist and sociopolitical commentator, writes from Iwo, Osun State.