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 Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced a six-hour electricity outage in parts of Abuja on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, to enable engineers carry out preventive maintenance on a major power transformer.

The scheduled maintenance is expected to affect electricity supply to several key areas of the Federal Capital Territory between 10:00am and 4:00pm.

TCN, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said its maintenance team would conduct routine checks on a 100MVA power transformer and its associated switchgear at the Central Area GIS 132/33kV Transmission Substation.

According to the company, the exercise is part of its efforts to strengthen the reliability and operational efficiency of the national transmission network.

“The maintenance exercise will enable TCN engineers undertake routine preventive checks on the transformer from 10:00am to 4:00pm on Wednesday, September 23, 2026,” the company stated.

The maintenance work will temporarily affect the ability of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to supply electricity to customers connected to the affected transmission network.

Areas expected to experience the outage include Wuse Zones 1 to 7, the Sheraton Hotel area, the Central Business District, Utako and Jabi, as well as surrounding communities.

TCN said the interruption was necessary to enable its engineers safely carry out the planned maintenance on the transformer and associated equipment.

The company apologised to electricity consumers in the affected areas for the inconvenience caused by the scheduled outage.

“TCN apologises for the inconvenience this planned outage will cause electricity consumers in the affected areas,” the statement added.

The transmission company explained that routine preventive maintenance is necessary to identify potential faults early and ensure critical equipment remains in good working condition.

It said the exercise forms part of its ongoing efforts to maintain the reliability of the national transmission network and reduce the risk of avoidable equipment failures.

Residents and businesses in the affected parts of Abuja are therefore expected to experience an interruption in electricity supply during the six-hour maintenance window.

The outage is scheduled to end by 4:00pm, after which electricity supply to the affected areas is expected to resume, subject to the successful completion of the maintenance exercise and restoration of supply by the relevant electricity authorities.

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.