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VOX POPULI: "Why is Ijebu Industry Dying?" — WhatsApp Commenter ‘Omo Agemo’ Sparks State-Wide Debate


By Infocity News Correspondence


A viral post by popular WhatsApp social observer and commentator, Omo Agemo, has set tongues wagging across Ogun State, sparking a heated debate over what he describes as the "deliberate abandonment" of Ijebu-based businesses by post-Onabanjo administrations.

In a blistering critique shared across community platform, Federation of Ijebu Youths. 

Omo Agemo listed over 30 indigenous companies—once the pride of the Ijebu nation—that have folded up in the last twenty years. The post, written in a tone of deep communal mourning, poses a haunting question: Why are Ijebu businesses dying while their counterparts in Remo, Egba, and Yewa continue to flourish?


The "Graveyard" of Giants

The list provided by the observer reads like a directory of a vanished era. From the manufacturing heights of Noak Battery and Gateway Pharmaceutical, to the cultural landmarks of Paramount Cinema and Phonodisc Recording, Omo Agemo argues that the economic map of Ijebuland has been systematically erased.

"Over 300 reputable indigenous companies and businesses in Ijebuland have shut down within two decades with no hope of returning and we all folded our arms?" — Omo Agemo


A Tale of Three Zones

The crux of the observer’s argument isn't just the economic downturn, but a perceived geopolitical imbalance in Ogun State. He challenges the "economic climate" excuse, pointing out that if the reasons were purely national, the industrial clusters in Remo (Sabo/Sagamu axis), Egba (Abeokuta), and Yewa (Agbara/Ota) should have suffered the same fate.

Instead, Omo Agemo suggests that while other zones have seen infrastructure booms and government-backed industrial parks, the Ijebu axis—the home of the legendary Chief Bisi Onabanjo—has been left to rot.


The "Roll Call of the Fallen"

The commentator urged residents to add to the growing list of defunct icons, which currently includes:

• Industrial: Iwopin Papermills, Ceramic Plates Factory (Odogbolu), Solgait Oil Mills, Wadai Shoes.

• Textiles: Novelty Lace (Aberuagba), Shokaz Lace (Ijebu-Igbo), Ogunde Textile (Ijebu Itele).

• Commercial: Odutola Stores, Mr. Bigg's (Ijebu-Ode), Oluwalogbon Motors.

• Social: Seico Hotels, Oworu Hospital, Bojela Bakery.


The Community Reacts

The post has triggered a wave of "digital activism," with many Ijebu sons and daughters calling for a post-mortem on the region's economy. While some attribute the decline to the lack of "succession planning" in family-owned businesses, the consensus following Omo Agemo's lead is that the lack of motorable access roads to industrial estates and diminished political willpower from Abeokuta are the primary culprits.


The Infocity Take

As this sentiment gains momentum on social media, the pressure is mounting on the current administration to prove that Ijebuland is still a priority on the "Building Our Future Together" agenda.

Is this a case of natural economic evolution, or has the "Cradle of Nigerian Enterprise" truly been sidelined by political design?

What do you think? Are there other businesses Omo Agemo missed? Should the State Government set up a special commission for Ijebu industrial revival?


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