The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria has called for stronger collaboration between traditional institutions and government intervention agencies to promote food security, wealth creation and sustainable national development.

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, made the call in a keynote address delivered at the 2026 Ulefunta Annual Lecture in Akure, Ondo State, on Wednesday.

The lecture, titled “Food Security, Wealth Creation and National Development:

Building Strategic Partnerships Between Traditional Institutions and Intervention Agencies,” focused on the need to strengthen grassroots participation in government development programmes.

Odii said government policies and intervention programmes often failed to adequately address the needs of communities when they were designed without sufficient input from people at the grassroots.

He stressed that traditional rulers and community leaders possessed valuable knowledge about their communities, including local customs, land use, economic opportunities and development challenges.

According to him, such knowledge should form part of government planning and implementation processes.

“We cannot sit in Abuja and make policies for people at the rural and community level.

For these policies to work, we must first involve community owners, community leaders and stakeholders in the design.”

He identified community participation, transparency, impact measurement, inclusion and sustainability as critical factors for the success of government intervention programmes.

The SMEDAN boss disclosed that the agency had launched its Community Enterprise Development Programme to strengthen the participation of traditional rulers and community leaders in enterprise development.

He explained that the programme was designed to involve traditional institutions throughout the life cycle of development projects rather than bringing them into the process after major decisions had already been taken.

Odii said traditional institutions could assist government agencies in mobilising farmers, artisans, women and youths, identifying viable economic opportunities and promoting community ownership of development initiatives.

He also called for a transformation of agriculture from subsistence farming to commercially viable enterprises through investment across the agricultural value chain.

He listed processing, packaging, logistics, technology and marketing among areas requiring greater attention to unlock the economic potential of agriculture.

Traditional rulers to serve as bridge
In his remarks, the Deji of Akure Kingdom, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, said the initiative was aimed at bridging the gap between traditional institutions and government intervention agencies.

The monarch said the programme would expose rural dwellers, farmers and young entrepreneurs to funding opportunities and other government-supported development initiatives.

He noted that traditional institutions were strategically positioned to serve as a bridge between intervention agencies and people at the grassroots.

According to him, farmers’ associations, community leaders and traditional chiefs participating in the programme had been mobilised to take relevant information and opportunities back to their communities.

The monarch also described the Ulefunta Festival as an annual socio-cultural reunion featuring tourism and cultural activities, stressing that the celebration was devoid of fetish practices.

Earlier, the Chairman of the 2026 Ulefunta Festival Committee, Olu Adekunle Ajanaku, said the colloquium was organised to sensitise rural residents, farmers and young entrepreneurs to government funding opportunities and development programmes.

Ajanaku said the festival had continued to attract global attention through its promotion of the cultural values, social life and aspirations of the people.

He expressed optimism that the renewed spirit of unity among the three Akure-speaking local government areas would eventually lead to the establishment of the Akure People’s Central Council and Akure Traditional Council.

The Nigerian Army College of Logistics and Management (NACOLM), Ojo, Lagos, has warned members of the public to disregard an online advertisement promoting a purported international research conference allegedly scheduled to take place at the institution.

The college said the advertisement for the purported “Highstone Global University USA International Research Conference” was false and fraudulent, stressing that NACOLM had no affiliation or involvement with the programme.

In a statement dated September 22, 2026, the college said no such conference had been authorised to take place at its premises.

NACOLM Public Relations Officer, Major Innocent Audu, said the institution had no relationship with the organisers of the purported programme.

“The College has no affiliation, partnership, endorsement or involvement whatsoever with the said programme, and no such conference has been authorised to take place at the College,” Audu said.

The college consequently urged Nigerians to disregard the advertisement and avoid making payments or providing personal information to individuals behind the purported conference.

It warned that members of the public could expose themselves to fraud or other risks by responding to the unauthorised solicitation.

“Members of the public are therefore advised to disregard the advertisement and refrain from making any payments or providing personal information in connection with the purported programme,” the statement added.

NACOLM said it remained committed to protecting the integrity of its name, facilities and official engagements, noting that legitimate programmes involving the institution would be properly authorised and publicly communicated.

According to the college, any authorised event or programme involving NACOLM would be announced through its recognised official communication channels and those of the Nigerian Army.

The institution also urged members of the public to exercise caution when responding to online advertisements claiming to be affiliated with the college.

It advised anyone who encounters suspicious solicitation linked to the purported conference to report it to the appropriate authorities.

The warning comes amid growing concerns over fraudulent online advertisements and schemes that use the names of reputable institutions to solicit money or personal information from unsuspecting members of the public.

NACOLM

Therefore reiterated that the purported Highstone Global University USA International Research Conference had no official connection with the college.

Nigeria’s electricity crisis has moved beyond an infrastructure challenge to become a national economic emergency, with unreliable power supply continuing to constrain growth, destroy jobs, deepen poverty and weaken public confidence in government.

For a country of more than 200 million people, average electricity generation of roughly 3,500MW to 4,500MW remains a major obstacle to development, particularly when installed generation capacity is above 13,000MW.

The electricity sector was privatised in 2013 with the expectation that private investment, commercial discipline and improved.

management would translate into more reliable power supply. More than a decade later, however, millions of Nigerians still endure prolonged blackouts, while businesses spend heavily on diesel and petrol generators to remain operational.

The frequent collapse of the national grid has also become a recurring feature of Nigeria’s electricity crisis.

The consequences extend across virtually every sector of the economy.

Manufacturers face rising production costs, small businesses lose revenue during prolonged outages, hospitals struggle to maintain uninterrupted services, while students and households are frequently forced to depend on alternative sources of power.

Nigeria’s ambition to industrialise, create jobs and compete effectively in the global economy will remain difficult to achieve without affordable and dependable electricity.

Gas supply remains a major obstacle
The problems stretch across the entire electricity value chain, beginning with generation.

Gas-fired power stations, which account for a significant portion of Nigeria’s electricity generation, continue to face inadequate gas supplies, pipeline vandalism and weak commercial arrangements that discourage investment.

Generation companies also contend with ageing infrastructure, stranded generation capacity and outstanding payments.

The country’s heavy reliance on thermal generation further exposes the electricity market to disruptions in gas supply.

Government must therefore prioritise reliable gas delivery to power plants.

The domestic supply obligation for gas-to-power should be strengthened, while credible payment guarantees should be introduced to provide greater certainty for gas suppliers.

Security agencies must also intensify efforts to prevent pipeline, transmission tower and electricity cable vandalism.

Those responsible for deliberately damaging critical energy infrastructure should be investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

At the same time, idle and gas-constrained power plants should be rehabilitated and returned to service where economically viable.

Nigeria should also accelerate diversification of its energy mix by expanding gas, hydro and solar generation rather than relying excessively on a single source.

Transmission infrastructure requires urgent attention
Transmission remains another major weakness in the electricity system.

Ageing and overstretched infrastructure, vandalised towers, inadequate spinning reserves and poor regional balancing leave the national grid vulnerable to disturbances.

The system requires modern control and protection equipment, including functioning relays, automated operations and full implementation of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition technology.

Transmission investment should also focus on the weakest points of the network, while ensuring that new infrastructure can accommodate growing demand and increasing renewable-energy generation.

The objective should not simply be to generate more electricity but to ensure that available power can be transmitted safely and efficiently to areas where it is needed.

Distribution companies must improve service
Distribution remains equally problematic.

Aggregate technical, commercial and collection losses have remained high, while millions of electricity consumers are still without functioning meters.

Estimated billing has contributed to widespread dissatisfaction and weakened trust between consumers and electricity distribution companies.

Electricity theft, vandalism, inaccurate customer records and inadequate investment have further weakened the distribution market.

Metering therefore needs to become a central component of distribution reform.

Distribution companies should accelerate the deployment of meters, clean up customer databases and complete feeder-level commercial mapping to establish more accurate information about electricity users and consumption.

Measures against electricity theft should also be strengthened, while ensuring that consumers are protected from arbitrary billing and other abuses.

Resolving the sector’s financial crisis
The electricity market’s financial problems also require a transparent and coordinated solution.

Payment-assurance mechanisms and appropriate power-sector recovery instruments could help address verified outstanding obligations and restore confidence among participants in the electricity value chain.

Government could also examine lawful mechanisms for resolving outstanding obligations, including appropriate debt net-offs involving tax and customs liabilities where applicable.

Responsible asset consolidation and balance-sheet financing may equally help unlock fresh investment, provided such measures are transparent and commercially sustainable.

Without addressing the sector’s financial weaknesses, efforts to attract new investment will continue to face significant obstacles.

Government must make reform measurable
Nigeria does not lack reports, policy documents or committees on electricity.

What has been missing is sustained implementation, measurable targets and accountability.

The Federal Government should therefore treat electricity reform as a national mission with clearly defined deadlines and publicly available performance indicators.

Specific milestones should be established for gas supply, generation recovery, transmission upgrades, metering and reduction of distribution losses.

Both public institutions and private operators should be required to meet agreed performance targets, with appropriate sanctions for persistent failures.

Rural electrification must also remain a priority. Grid expansion should be complemented by decentralised renewable-energy systems capable of supplying communities that are difficult or expensive to connect to the national network.

Nigeria’s electricity crisis is solvable, but doing so requires coordinated action across generation, gas supply, transmission, distribution and financing.

Reliable electricity is not merely a convenience. It is essential infrastructure for manufacturing, education, healthcare, technology, agriculture and job creation.

After more than a decade of electricity-sector privatisation, Nigerians need measurable improvements rather than another cycle of promises and policy announcements.

The country cannot power its economic future with excuses. It needs sustained investment, disciplined implementation and accountability across the electricity value chain.