Western Nigeria stands at a critical moment in its development journey, where bold regional collaboration must replace fragmented efforts and abandoned ambitions. Few projects better symbolise both the promise and the failure of Nigeria’s development planning than the Ikere Gorge Dam in Iseyin, Oyo State.
This project was Conceived over four decades ago as a multipurpose infrastructure project, the dam remains largely underutilised, despite its enormous capacity to transform the economic, agricultural, energy, and water security landscape of the entire South-West region.
Located about 33 kilometres northeast of Iseyin and built across the Ogun River, Ikere Gorge Dam is one of the largest dams in southwestern Nigeria. With a reservoir covering approximately 47 square kilometres and a storage capacity of about 690 million cubic metres of water, the dam was designed to serve multiple strategic purposes. These included hydroelectric power generation, large-scale irrigation, potable water supply, flood control, fisheries development, and tourism.
The vision was clear, Ikere Gorge was meant to be a regional asset, not a local monument to abandoned ambition.
Construction of the dam began in the early 1980s, following conceptualisation in the late 1970s. The project was designed to generate up to 37.5 megawatts of electricity, with some technical assessments suggesting an even higher potential if fully optimised. It was also planned to irrigate nearly 12,000 hectares of farmland, enabling year-round agricultural production in Oke-Ogun and adjoining areas. Yet decades later, the dam has not fulfilled these objectives.
Mechanical and electrical installations were never completed, irrigation infrastructure remains skeletal, and the power generation component has never come on stream.
Despite this neglect, Ikere Gorge Dam is far from a failed project. On the contrary, it is a ready-made solution waiting for visionary leadership and regional ownership. Even in its incomplete state, the reservoir supports thousands of fishing families and provides informal economic activity for surrounding communities. This alone is evidence of the transformative impact the dam could deliver if fully developed and professionally managed.
At a time when Western Nigeria is grappling with energy deficits, food insecurity, youth unemployment, climate vulnerability, and water stress, it is indefensible that such a strategic asset remains dormant. The South-West cannot continue to depend solely on national grid electricity that is unreliable, nor can it ignore the need for structured irrigation systems to support modern agriculture. Regional competitiveness in the 21st century will be defined by access to infrastructure, not rhetoric.This is where the Western Nigeria Development Commission (WNDC) and the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN Commission) must rise to their historic responsibility. Both institutions were created to drive integrated regional development, mobilise shared resources, and pursue projects that individual states may struggle to execute alone. Ikere Gorge Dam perfectly fits this mandate.
Rather than leaving the dam in the perpetual custody of federal neglect, Western Nigeria should take ownership of its destiny by adopting Ikere Gorge as a flagship regional project. Through a coordinated framework involving Oyo State and other South-West states, the dam can be rehabilitated, modernised, and concessioned under a transparent public-private partnership model. Such an approach would unlock financing, ensure professional management, and guarantee sustainability.
Revitalising Ikere Gorge Dam would deliver multiple regional dividends. It would provide renewable energy to power agro-processing zones and rural industries. It would enable large-scale irrigation, boost food production, and stabilise agricultural value chains across the region. It would supply water to growing urban and semi-urban centres, reduce pressure on groundwater, and enhance climate resilience. It would create jobs in agriculture, fisheries, energy, tourism, and infrastructure maintenance. Above all, it would stand as proof that regional cooperation can succeed where centralised control has failed.
Western Nigeria has the institutional architecture, intellectual capacity, and economic base to make this happen. What is required now is political will, strategic coordination, and a clear declaration of intent. The WNDC and DAWN Commission must jointly champion the takeover, rehabilitation, and full optimisation of Ikere Gorge Dam as a regional priority project.
History will not be kind to a region that allows such a strategic asset to decay while its people struggle with unemployment, hunger, and energy poverty. Ikere Gorge Dam must no longer remain a symbol of abandoned dreams. It should become a cornerstone of Western Nigeria’s development renaissance, a living example of what is possible when vision meets action.
The time to act is now.
By Bola Babarinde, South Africa
