Nation
SMEDAN Empowers 16 Cooperatives On Agribusiness In Ondo
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has trained and empowered no fewer than 160 people from 16 cooperative organisations on agribusiness in Ondo State.
South-West Zonal Coordinator of SMEDAN, Mr Shode Olukayode, made this known while speaking with newsmen at the end of the six-day entrepreneurship training for members of some cooperative organisations on Sunday in Akure.
Olukayode, who said that the programme was a yearly initiative of the Federal Government, added that Ondo and Ogun were chosen from South West to benefit this year.
He said the Agric-business Development and Empowerment programme(ADEP) was deliberately established in SMEDAN head office called agribusiness and extension services to focus primarily on development of the agric sector.
“So, this initiative was established to compliment the effort of the state government and to assist cooperatives that are into agro-elite production in the country.
“We are in Ondo State to train and empower some cooperative organisations. We have 16 cooperatives and each cooperative is represented by 10 members, so, in all we have 160 participants.
“They will go away with a package a grant close to N300, 000 to enhance their businesses and also logistics to support them.
“There is what we call post training, we are going to do follow-up on all the beneficiaries on how the money is being utilised, so that other thing can be added to them,” he said.
The SMEDAN zonal coordinator, who said that all the participants were drawn from the 18 local government areas of the state, added that the state was the next to benefit from the programme.
He, therefore, charged the participants to take the programme serious, noting that it was not easy to shortlist any of them.
Also speaking, Assistant Director of SMEDAN, Abuja, Mrs Oluyomi Faniyan, said that the initiative was to encourage youths and young farmers to go back to farming and to increase country’s export.
Faniyan, who called on the beneficiaries to see the programme as an opportunity, said they should practice all what they learned in their daily businesses.
“FG and state governments are working restlessly to encourage people to go back to farming because this is what had been sustaining Nigeria before the emergence of oil.
“Now that oil has failed us, we must go back to farm so that we can increase our export. Lack of exportation is what is affecting Nigeria naira today,” she said.
Chairman of Sunshine Cooperative Society in Akure South Local Government, Muhammed Enas, appreciated the Federal Government’s initiative, saying that the gesture would go a long way to assist farmers in the state.
Enas, who said he was into pig farming, urged Federal Government not to relent on the programme so that poverty could be a thing of the pass and youths could take farming as a job instead of looking for white collar jobs.
“To me, I don’t even believe that FG has such a package to relieve or to reduce poverty within farmers.
“What I think is that it is not possible to be a successful farmer through this training in the last six days, but I was wrong. I can say that there is hope for the country, hope for the younger generations.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, has commended the orderly conduct of the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination in the state and urged schools to sustain the standard.
Dr. Nwagor gave the commendation on Tuesday during a monitoring tour of selected secondary schools in Port Harcourt and environs where the WAEC exam is ongoing.
The commissioner, who was accompanied by directors and monitors from the Ministry of Education, said he was impressed with the peaceful atmosphere at the centres visited.
“The students conducted themselves properly and wrote their papers under conducive conditions. Invigilators and supervisors also performed their duties professionally,” he stated.
Nwagor noted that the Rivers State Government had invested heavily to ensure the smooth and credible conduct of the examination across the state
He urged candidates to reciprocate government’s effort by shunning all forms of examination malpractice and focusing on their studies.
“Government has done so much to ensure successful examinations in our schools. Students should take advantage of it by remaining focused,” the commissioner said.
While no case of malpractice was recorded in the centres inspected, Dr. Nwagor warned that any principal, teacher, invigilator, or official caught aiding malpractice would face strict sanctions in line with regulations.
He also commended school administrators, teachers, WAEC officials, and security personnel for upholding the integrity of the process.
Centres visited included County Grammar School, Ikwerre/Etche; Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri; Government Secondary School, Borokiri; and Pabod Model Secondary School.
Rivers State University and the Otonti Nduka Foundation for Values Education jointly hosted a two-day National Conference on 8 and 9 May 2026 to examine the state of values in Nigeria.
The two days conference held at Rivers State University convocation arena brought together academics, policymakers, legal experts and education leaders under the theme _“Trends and Challenges in Upholding Values in Nigeria.”_
The gathering focused on policy gaps, curriculum reform, and the role of ethics in public service and education.
The event opened on Friday with remarks from Vice Chancellor Prof. Chief Isaac Zeb-Obipi, who stressed the need to address declining moral and civic values across Nigeria’s education and public sectors. A book of abstracts for the plenary sessions was also presented to participants.
Key speakers included former Attorney General Chief Dr Kanu Agabi, SAN; NERDC Executive Secretary Prof. Shehu Salisu; Prof. Hauwa Imam, FNAE, of the University of Abuja; former Rivers SUBEB Chairman Ven Dr Fyneface Akah, ; former NIMASA DG Dr Hon. Dakuku Adol-Peterside; and RSU Director of ICT Prof. Sunny Orike.
Discussions centered on integrating values education into schools, tertiary institutions and public institutions, alongside the impact of technology on moral development among young Nigerians. Panel and plenary sessions produced practical recommendations for curriculum and policy reform.
On Saturday, the foundation marked its centenary with the unveiling of the book _Otonti Nduka in History_, launched by Chief Engr. Grant Offor, FNSE. The Nigerian Academy of Education held a ceremonial procession led by its President Prof. Olu Jegede and the Ikwerre Professors Forum.
In a communiqué, participants called for stronger collaboration between government, civil society and academia to mainstream values education nationwide. They recommended reviewing teacher training curricula and expanding digital platforms to promote ethical civic engagement, with the foundation pledging to share the outcomes with education authorities for implementation.
Dignitaries present included Ogbakor Ikwerre Worldwide as Chief Host, Prof. Emeritus Chief T. Uzodimma Nwala, the Ikenga 1 of Mbaise and first philosophy student of Prof. Otonti Nduka, alongside scholars and community leaders.
Amadi Akujobi
