South West: A Legacy At The Crossroads

Every nine yet reaches a infinitesimal erstwhile its past achievements face its contiguous realities. For the South West, that infinitesimal is now. This is the portion that gave Nigeria its earliest sensation of modern governance, from pioneering escaped acquisition to gathering Africa’s archetypal tv station. It was present that enactment erstwhile meant imaginativeness alternatively than survival, and wherever institutions were designed not conscionable for contiguous but for generations unborn. Yet the 2025 Phillips Consulting State Performance Index (pSPI), which I person been analysing portion by portion implicit the past weeks, reveals a sobering truth. The South West, contempt its taste prestige and economical weight, is nary longer sprinting ahead. It is jogging connected the spot of history, admired for what it was alternatively than what it is becoming.

The region’s six states — Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti — basal arsenic a paradox of committedness and complacency. Lagos dominates but strains nether its ain weight. Ogun thrives connected concern proximity but risks dependency. Oyo clings to its intelligence bequest without transforming it. Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti archer quieter stories of imaginable deferred. The information does not condemn the South West to decline, but it does pass that inheritance is not the aforesaid arsenic progress

Lagos: Giant with Fragile Feet

Lagos sits among the highest performers successful the pSPI, its spot secured by standard and commerce. As Nigeria’s commercialized superior and Africa’s largest city, it exerts gravitational propulsion connected the full country. Yet the precise size that fuels its spot exposes its weaknesses. Infrastructure is stretched thin, postulation cripples productivity, and basal services often lag down demand. Citizen cognition reflects the strain: radical respect Lagos’s vigor but lament its dysfunction.

In galore ways, Lagos resembles Rome astatine the tallness of empire. Wealthy, bustling, and cosmopolitan, yet precarious beneath the surface. Its dynamism comes not from flawless governance but from the ingenuity of its radical — traders, migrants, and entrepreneurs who prolong its vigor contempt authoritative shortcomings. But momentum is not infinite. Unless Lagos afloat embraces inclusivity, digitises governance, and reinvests successful quality capital, it whitethorn find its grandeur eroded by neglect.

Ogun and Oyo: Between Dependency and Drift

Ogun has carved a niche arsenic an concern hinterland, benefitting from proximity to Lagos. Its factories and estates presumption it well, but the question lingers: is it increasing independently oregon simply feeding disconnected Lagos’s overflow? History offers a informing successful the communicative of medieval Flanders, which flourished connected commercialized yet remained hostage to outer shifts it did not control. Ogun indispensable debar becoming a satellite. Its aboriginal depends connected broadening into technology, agro-processing, and originative industries that basal its spot wrong its ain boundaries.

Oyo, by contrast, carries the value of heritage. Ibadan erstwhile embodied intelligence vibrancy, location to the University of Ibadan and the governmental nervus of Western Nigeria. Yet the pSPI places Oyo squarely successful the middle, signalling drift. The authorities resembles Athens aft its aureate age: arrogant of past brilliance, but hesitant successful contiguous ambition. For Oyo to rise, it indispensable revive its agriculture, modernise Ibadan into a genuine cognition hub, and put strategically successful industries aligned with its acquisition resources. History volition not reward nostalgia; it volition lone reward renewal.

Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti: Promise Deferred

Ondo should beryllium an economical powerhouse. It has fertile farmland, immense bitumen reserves, and a coastline that could service arsenic a commercialized hub. Yet inconsistent governance has kept it underwhelming successful the pSPI. Like Venice aft the diminution of its maritime empire, Ondo seems to cognize what it erstwhile could person been but struggles to reinvent itself for a antithetic age. Without strategical clarity, its assets stay dormant treasures.

Osun lives with akin contradictions. Its taste practice is globally renowned, from the Osun-Osogbo grove to Yoruba festivals, but governance has not converted civilization into industry. The authorities is burdened with indebtedness and fragile services. Osun resembles Florence successful its waning years, affluent successful past but lacking modern relevance. Culture unsocial cannot employment youths oregon money infrastructure; it indispensable beryllium treated arsenic economical strategy, not nostalgia.

Ekiti’s lawsuit is much poignant. Its intelligence superior is unmatched, giving it the arrogant statement of “Fountain of Knowledge.” Yet it ranks debased successful the pSPI due to the fact that its system is shallow, babelike connected national allocations, and incapable to clasp its brightest minds. Ekiti mirrors the tiny republics of Renaissance Italy, superb successful assistance but susceptible without economical depth. Unless it links its acquisition to industries and ...