After 17 years of silence, the machines at the Okin Biscuits factory in Offa, Kwara State, have started running again, rekindling hopes that one of Nigeria’s once-beloved biscuit brands could soon return to shop shelves.
The company achieved the breakthrough on Tuesday after rehabilitating one of its production lines, which had been rendered unusable after vandals stripped it of vital cables, frequency drives, contactors, motors, and other electronic components.
Okin Biscuits announced the development on Wednesday through its official Facebook page where he described the restart as an important step in the company’s attempt to revive production.
The company, however, cautioned that Nigerians should not expect to see the familiar Okin biscuit in shops immediately. The first operation was a technical trial designed to determine whether the long-dormant machinery could function again.
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“For the first time in 17 years, biscuits rolled off one of our rehabilitated production lines at the factory in Offa,” the company stated.
It explained that the exercise was “a technical trial run, not a product trial”. It added that the immediate objective was to establish whether the production line could be brought back to life.
“At this stage, we were not concerned about colour, appearance or achieving the final Okin recipe. The objective was simple: Can we bring this line, silent for 17 years, back to life? And we did,” the company added.
Another development strengthened the revival effort on the same day. The factory was connected by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to a 33KVA Band A electricity supply, which gave the facility access to a more dependable power source for its operations.
For a manufacturer whose previous struggles included unreliable electricity and damaged infrastructure, the power connection could prove crucial to sustaining production once commercial operations resume.
The company said several stages of work are still pending, including additional testing, equipment calibration, and further rehabilitation of the plant. It also has to restore the taste and quality that made Okin a familiar name among generations of Nigerian consumers.
“There is still work ahead,” the firm acknowledged, while listing more testing, calibration, and rehabilitation before the product can return to the market.
Founded in 1980 by the late Chief Emmanuel Olatunji Adesoye, an Offa-born industrialist, Okin Biscuits once enjoyed a strong presence in Nigeria’s confectionery market. For many Nigerians who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, the brand was a familiar part of childhood.
Its fortunes later deteriorated amid infrastructure deficiencies, unstable electricity and intense competition from cheaper imported biscuits. Production eventually stopped, leaving the Offa factory inactive for 17 years.
The recent test run does not yet signify a full commercial comeback. It does, however, mark the first visible sign that the company is rebuilding the machinery behind a brand many Nigerians still remember.
Okin Biscuits said, “The machines are turning. The ovens are firing. The biscuits are beginning to roll out again.
“One step at a time. Okin is coming back.”
