Okin Biscuits has restarted production at its factory in Offa, Kwara State, marking the first time biscuits have rolled off one of its production lines in 17 years, as the company works to return its products to the Nigerian market.
The company disclosed on Wednesday that one of its rehabilitated production lines had begun operating again, a development it described as a significant milestone in its effort to restore full manufacturing capacity at the Offa facility.
Okin Biscuits stated on its official Facebook page that the production line required complete rebuilding before it could be returned to service, citing extensive damage that had rendered the line inoperable for nearly two decades.
According to the company, thieves had stripped the production line of its cables, frequency drives, contactors, motors, and other electronic components, leaving the equipment non-functional and requiring a full rehabilitation program before any restart could be attempted.
The company confirmed that the stolen components were not merely peripheral parts but core elements of the production infrastructure, meaning the line could not function at any capacity until every damaged or missing component had been sourced and replaced.
Okin Biscuits stated that rebuilding the production line represented a major financial and technical undertaking, given the range and specificity of the electronic and mechanical components that had to be procured and installed before operations could recommence.
The company noted on Wednesday that while biscuits had successfully rolled off the rehabilitated line, further testing, calibration, and rehabilitation work remain necessary before the factory can produce at a standard that meets the quality expectations associated with the Okin brand.
According to the company’s statement, the familiar Okin taste and quality that consumers associate with the brand have not yet been fully restored, and additional work on the production line will be required before the biscuits are ready for the market.
The company did not disclose a specific timeline for when products from the Offa factory would be available for commercial sale, stating only that the current phase represents progress toward bringing the biscuits back to Nigerian consumers.
Okin Biscuits confirmed that calibration of the production line is among the remaining tasks, indicating that the machinery must be precisely adjusted and tested under operational conditions before the company can certify the output as meeting its established product standards.
The company stated that rehabilitation work is also continuing on other parts of the facility, suggesting that the single production line now running represents an early stage of a broader restoration effort at the Offa factory, with additional lines expected to follow as the program advances.
Okin Biscuits disclosed the update through its official Facebook handle, using the platform to communicate directly with consumers and the public about the state of the factory and the progress being made toward a full return to production.
The Offa factory in Kwara State is the base from which Okin Biscuits previously supplied its products to the Nigerian market before the shutdown, which the company attributed to the theft and destruction of critical machinery and electronic systems across its production floor.
The company did not provide details on when the theft of the cables, frequency drives, contactors, motors, and other components occurred, or whether any individuals were held responsible for the damage that forced the 17-year halt in production at the site.
Okin Biscuits stated that the resumption of production on even one rehabilitated line marks significant progress, and the company indicated it will continue the process of restoring full operational capacity at the Kwara State factory as testing and calibration work advances, with the goal of eventually returning its biscuits to shelves across the Nigerian market.
