The 8th National MSME Clinic, hosted at the Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC) on August 12, 2025, has stirred controversy after several exhibitors alleged that the ₦250,000 grant announced during the event never reached most participants.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who attended the programme under the Renewed Hope Agenda, had declared that businesses would benefit from financial support aimed at strengthening small and medium enterprises. While the announcement raised expectations, weeks later many exhibitors expressed disappointment, claiming the process was unclear and left them excluded.
A shoemaker, Larence Akumaye of Akumaye’s Global Conglomerate, said organisers encouraged participants to spend money on branding and preparation with the understanding that grants would follow.
“I spent money on labels, stickers, and packaging. We were told to make our booths look good. However, on the day of the event, the Vice President only walked past one side of the hall, where the red carpet was laid. He didn’t see most of us.
“Now they are saying only ‘unique businesses’ were paid. But we were never told there would be a selection process,” he explained.
For Kuku Oden, who owns Jodenke Natural Products, the cost of participation was overwhelming. She revealed she spent over ₦150,000 on transportation, production, and packaging but has yet to receive any alert.
“Some people said they got alerts after the event, but most of us didn’t. We were later informed that staff from the Vice President’s office had taken over the payment process. We were left confused,” she said.
Oden also criticised the set-up of the clinic, saying many exhibitors were hidden in separate halls, limiting visibility.
“It felt more like a showcase than a proper exhibition. Most of us made no sales and received nothing afterwards. They even locked the WhatsApp group where we shared updates, now only the admin can post,” she added.
Another exhibitor, Rosemary Kekong of Rosie Kess Integrated Farmer, said she transported fresh farm produce to the venue, confident the ₦250,000 grant would help her business expand.
“They treated us like we didn’t matter. We brought our products from different parts of the state, spent money, and yet we were not paid. Later, we saw that people who were not even on our exhibitor list were credited,” she said.
She called for a full review to ensure transparency and fairness in future programmes.
Responding to the concerns, the Director-General of the Cross River State Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency (MEDA), Mr. Great Ogban, clarified that only 30 businesses received the grant.
“The Vice President said unique businesses would be selected for the ₦250,000 grant. His team went around and picked those businesses. MEDA only verified the list before payment. We didn’t handle the selection or the money,” he explained.
He added that all participants were provided with free booths and that the agency fulfilled its duty in hosting the event.
Despite this, exhibitors insist the promises made at the MSME Clinic created expectations that were not met. They argue that small business owners had invested their limited resources into preparing for the showcase, only to be left without financial assistance and with little clarity on how the grant distribution was decided.