By Eneojo Herbert Idakwo
In the heart of Nigeria’s Middle Belt lies Igalaland , a region soaked in rich culture, fertile lands, and a proud people with an enduring legacy of enterprise and resilience. Yet, in recent years, Igalaland has been caught in the crosswinds of economic stagnation and youth migration. The dreams of many Igala sons and daughters now flourish in faraway cities, while their ancestral home lies in want of investment, innovation, and infrastructural development. But the tide can change, and must change, if we heed the clarion call: it is time to go back home and build.
One of the most impactful ways to trigger grassroots economic revival in Igalaland is through the establishment of cottage industries, small-scale, locally operated production ventures that utilize local raw materials and manpower. These industries have the unique capacity to create jobs, reduce rural-urban migration, preserve cultural crafts, and stimulate the local economy without requiring the heavy capital outlay of large factories.
A Land of Untapped Potential
Igalaland is blessed with abundant natural resources: vast arable land for agriculture, rivers teeming with fish, forests rich in timber and medicinal plants, and a population that is youthful, industrious, and eager for opportunities. From yam, cassava, palm oil, and rice to coal, limestone, Cashew, and local fabrics, the raw materials needed to fuel a cottage industry revolution are in no short supply.
What is lacking, however, is the infrastructure of hope, industries, machines, mentorship, and capital that can turn these raw materials into finished products. Imagine cassava processed into starch and garri in modern, hygienic facilities in Dekina; palm oil refined in Itobe; fish smoked and packaged in Idah; pottery and traditional crafts preserved and sold globally from Anyigba. This is not utopia, it is a future within reach if we choose to build it.
The Brain Drain Dilemma
Thousands of Igala professionals and skilled artisans live in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and even abroad. They run successful businesses, work in high offices, and build homes in cities far from the land of their birth. Many want to return, but are discouraged by poor infrastructure, insecurity, or the fear of financial risk. Yet, in the silence of their hearts, they know the truth, that development will never come from the outside. No government will build Igalaland for us. The responsibility lies with us, the people.
If even a fraction of these individuals commit to setting up small-scale businesses back home, even as a side venture, the multiplier effect would be profound. Jobs would be created. Skills would be transferred. The narrative of poverty and helplessness would begin to shift.
Cottage Industries: The Igala Renaissance Tool
The beauty of cottage industries is that they rely heavily on local materials and manpower. They are adaptable, culturally relevant, and low-risk compared to large-scale industrial ventures. More importantly, they are community-based and promote inclusive growth.
Take for example a shea butter processing cottage in Ejule. It could employ women cooperatives to collect and process shea nuts, engage youths in packaging and distribution, and leverage digital tools for marketing. Such a business would not only empower the local community but also keep traditional knowledge alive while creating a bridge to global markets.
Similarly, a community-based agro-processing center in Abejukolo could handle yam flour production, attracting buyers from across Nigeria and even West Africa.
A mango Juice processing plant in Ikanepo will creat jobs and boost the economy of the area
Leatherworks, textile weaving, soap making, bamboo crafts, and even local food packaging can all be explored.
The Role of Government and NGOs
Government and civil society actors must also play their part. Access to soft loans, land, electricity, and training are critical to enabling cottage industries to thrive. Local government councils should prioritize industrial clusters and provide incentives for returnee entrepreneurs.
Non-governmental organizations can step in to provide technical training, business advisory, and startup capital. And community leaders must create an enabling environment, safe, stable, and welcoming, for those who choose to return and invest.
A Call to Action
This is a call to all Igala sons and daughters both at home and in the diaspora: Let us stop waiting for perfect conditions. Let us stop outsourcing our destiny. Whether you are a banker in Lagos, a nurse in the UK, or a trader in Abuja, you can play a role in the industrial awakening of Igalaland. Start small. Partner with someone you trust back home. Mentor a youth. Invest in a skill center. Support a cooperative. Build a cottage industry.
The greatness of a people is not measured by how far they run from their roots, but by how much they give back to the soil that gave them life. Igalaland is ours to build, and now is the time to begin.
We must return, not just in celebration during December festivals, but in purpose, with a plan to invest, to empower, and to industrialize. The path to a prosperous Igalaland begins with us. Let us go back home and build.
Eneojo Herbert Idakwo is a public affairs analyst and advocate for community-driven development in Kogi State. He writes from Abuja.
eneojoherbert@gmail.com
