By Ayanleye Rodiat.
The keynote speaker Chief Sunday Akin Dare
Top government officials, policymakers, traditional rulers, legislators and media professionals on Wednesday called for stronger public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a catalyst for accelerating grassroots development and improving governance across Nigeria.
The call was made at The Gazelle News Annual Public Lecture and Awards 2026, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
The event was themed “Driving Grassroots Governance with Public-Private Partnership: The Gains, The Pains, The Prospects.”
Speakers at the lecture stressed that collaboration between government, the private sector and local communities is essential to improving education, healthcare, infrastructure, job creation and overall service delivery at the grassroots level.
The Chairman of the occasion, Lagos State Deputy Governor and APC governorship candidate, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, was represented by former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, who delivered his address.
Explaining the Deputy Governor’s absence, Obanikoro joked that he would read the speech “word for word” to avoid attributing to the chairman remarks he never made, drawing laughter from the audience.
In the speech, Hamzat described grassroots governance as the foundation of national development and explained that public-private partnerships combine government authority with private-sector investment, innovation and expertise to improve the lives of citizens..
He noted that Nigerians expect local governments to support small businesses, improve education and healthcare, and deliver sustainable community development.
He also identified poor policy implementation, corruption and inconsistent government interventions as major obstacles to effective local governance.
Hamzat urged stakeholders to embrace collaboration, saying, “Let us embrace partnership not as an option, but as the primary pathway to a resilient, inclusive and prosperous Nigeria.”
Delivering the keynote address, Chief Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, underscored the importance of transformational leadership in driving grassroots governance.
He described local government autonomy as a historic opportunity to improve transparency, accountability and service delivery by empowering councils to work closely with the private sector and local communities.
Dare noted that while public-private partnerships can attract investment, encourage innovation, create jobs and restore public confidence in governance, challenges such as weak institutional capacity, policy inconsistency, transparency gaps and political transitions must be addressed.
He advocated a data-driven and technology-enabled approach to governance, supported by stronger institutions, transparent procurement systems, active community participation and visionary leadership committed to sustainable and inclusive development.
The annual lecture brought together senior government officials, legislators, development experts, business leaders and media practitioners to examine practical strategies for strengthening grassroots governance through effective partnerships between the public and private sectors.(NAN).
