The 2027 elections, set to take place in January next year, is warming up. In some states, the candidates who are going to represent the different political parties for various positions have already emerged. In Oyo State, various contestants have declared their interest in various positions especially for governor, but few if any have put any manifesto or policy document.
At Techies Node, together with our partners at Ibadan Tech Expo, we are advocating for intending elected officials to start taking the Oyo Tech Ecosystem more seriously, not just in Ibadan but across the state. Because we have seen the difference that tech can make if properly backed with a well reasoned policy.
For the next 10 weeks we will be creating think pieces across various elective positions, from House of Assembly members, to House of Representatives, to Senate, to the Governorship.
Both Techies Node and Ibadan Tech Expo are non-partisan organizations, which do not endorse any politician or political parties. Thus these pieces are not to endorse any party or candidates or to denigrate any candidate or Party. Our concern is growing the Oyo Tech ecosystem and the Nigerian ecosystem at large, and we are always open to working with anyone regardless of affiliation to achieve those goals. Thus if any political candidate wishes to engage with us based on this series or any other tech advocacy initiatives we put out we will be glad to engage them, as tech advocates for the Oyo tech ecosystem.
Beyond Ibadan: Accounting For Oyo’s Secondary Cities Tech Ecosystems
Every year in Ibadan, the most attended tech event in Southwest Nigeria, the Ibadan Tech Expo gets packed with Lagos startups, hoping to use the leverage to onboard new users in Ibadan and by extension other underserved communities especially in Oyo State on their platforms. The lesson here is obvious, there is interest in the Oyo tech ecosystem, even from outside the state,
Every election cycle, the conversations about development in Oyo State tend to follow a familiar geography. Roads in Ibadan. Markets in Ibadan. Infrastructure in Ibadan. Tech ecosystem in Ibadan
If we want to be fair, Ibadan is the state capital and deserves attention. But Oyo State is not Ibadan. With 33 Local Government Areas spread across a landmass larger than many African countries, the state is home to millions of residents in Ogbomoso, Iseyin, Oyo Town, Saki, Igbo-Ora, and dozens of other communities, many of these people are yet to feel the presence of a functioning digital economy.
As 2027 approaches and political campaigns begin to heat up, this piece is asking a simple but pointed question: does any governorship aspirant have a concrete, detailed plan for building the tech ecosystem in cities outside Ibadan? Or will the next four years look exactly like the last?
Let us start with Ogbomoso. The city is the second largest in Oyo State and hosts Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), one of Nigeria’s most respected science and technology institutions. LAUTECH graduates thousands of engineers, computer scientists, and applied technology students every year. Yet, despite this talent pipeline, Ogbomoso only has a few tech hubs, no notable startup ecosystem, and no structured government-backed programme to retain or deploy this talent locally. Thankfully, a few individuals such as Oluseun Onigbinde with his Oluseun Onigbinde Resource Centre, and Ennovate Lab are making a difference with their limited means, But as it is, most LAUTECH graduates relocate to Lagos, Abuja, or abroad within months of completing their studies. The irony is hard to miss: a city that produces technology talent is not pulling its weight in the technology space.
Then there is Iseyin, a town in Oyo North known historically for its textile and weaving industry. In the age of e-commerce, digital fashion, and cross-border trade platforms, Iseyin’s artisans are sitting on an untapped goldmine. Yet, most of them remain offline, operating through informal networks with no digital presence, no payment infrastructure, and no access to the global marketplaces that could transform their livelihoods. A forward-thinking governorship agenda could change this, but it would require a candidate who has thought seriously about rural digital inclusion, not just building Internet infrastructure for urban tech parks, and hoping it would trickle down to the rural areas somehow.
Oyo Town, the ancient seat of the old Oyo Empire, tells a similar story. As the headquarters of Oyo East and Oyo West local government areas, the town has a significant administrative presence but little in the way of digital economic activity. Young people in Oyo Town who are interested in tech largely have to self-fund their training, relying on YouTube tutorials, WhatsApp communities, and the occasional short course in Ibadan. There is no state-backed digital skills centre, no government or major investor backed co-working space, and no government programme specifically designed to build local tech capacity.
So what should aspirants be saying? At a minimum, a credible governorship candidate ought to be articulating a decentralised tech policy. one that does not treat Ibadan as the default beneficiary of every digital initiative. This could include the establishment of digital skills centres in each senatorial district, broadband expansion agreements with telecommunications providers that specifically target underserved LGAs, and a state-level policy on public procurement that gives priority to locally built software solutions.
It should also include a clear commitment to partnerships with tertiary institutions outside Ibadan. LAUTECH in Ogbomoso, The Polytechnic Ibadan’s satellite Campuses, Saki Polytechnic, Emmanuel Alayande University of Education in Oyo Town. These institutions are resources that a smart governor should be leveraging, not ignoring.
None of these requires rocket science research. All It requires is political will and a willingness to see Oyo State in its full geographic and demographic complexity. The 2027 elections offer an opportunity to demand exactly that. As voters and stakeholders in the Oyo tech ecosystem, we should be listening carefully to what the governorship aspirants are saying and asking hard questions about what they are not saying. Because a plan for a tech ecosystem that begins and ends in Ibadan is not a plan for Oyo State. It is a plan for just one city.
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