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Senatorial Bye-Election: Ukelle Diaspora Drum Support for Hon Agom

Published

6 years ago

October 26, 2020

…Kicks Off electioneering campaign Cross Northern Senatorial District

Cyril Ogar – Abuja

As the race for the Cross River northern senatorial Bye-election gathers momentum, A Group under the auspices of Ukelle in Diaspora, has thrown their weight behind their preferred candidate RT Hon Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, ahead of the Cross River North Senatorial bye-election in Cross River State.

This was made known in a press statement signed by the Acting National Coordinator, Bar. Alex Ebi Edim, and made available to AljazirahNigeria in Abuja. While enumerating the achievements made by Hon Agom who currently represents Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

According to the group, the lawmaker has all it takes to represent the great and good people of Cross River North Senatorial district at the Red Chamber based on his experience, knowledge, and pedigree over the years.

The group in the statement Advocated that it is the turn of Ogoja to emerge as senator following the death of late Senator Rose Oko, who the senator was representing Cross River North at the Senate, which he described as a blow to the entire senatorial district and Cross River State as a whole.

The statement reads in part, “Just as Senate seat is never a birthright for an individual, so also we should know that is never a birthright for a particular local government or ethnic or tribal group to be a senator.

“Each day people cry for a dividend of democracy when someone is representing them but when it time for the leader to come out, we use all strategies to say it must be from a particular place without considering if another zone has ever produced someone from there or has tasted that seat to keep doing the good work he has been doing.

“For a very long time since the inception of Senate till the present 9th Assembly, Ogoja local government Area which is one out of the five local government areas that constitute the Northern part of Cross River State has never in history produced a senator.

Not because they are not good enough as compared to those who have been there but because they are patient and always following due process.

The time for Ogoja is now “Hon Jarigbe is a man who over the years have proved to his constituency that power belongs to God and who believes that being in the green chamber is through the help of his people and not himself.

He is always seen appreciating his people. He is the only leader who has his people at heart anytime.”

According to the group, Hon Agom’s second tenure which he is currently serving he has empowered over 200 constituents from across the 24 wards of Ogoja/Yala with Birds, Feeds and Vaccines to run agribusiness; free medical outreach across Ogoja/Yala with Over 5,000 constituents as beneficiaries; empowered over 50 constituents with commercial motorcycles, over 25 tricycles (Keke NAPEP), mechanized farm implements and five cars to people across Ogoja/Yala; facilitated the supply and installation of 2nos 500kva transformers in Ogoja; provided cash for small and large scale business start-up capital to his constituents; special invention with N250,000 to youth from Ijibor in Bekwarra Local Government Area to a start-up business.

Rehabilitation of Borehole in Ochochi Okpudu in Okpoma, in Yala LGA; Yuletide Palliative to widows; entrepreneurship development training facilitation for over 400 constituents in order to access CBN’s AGSMEIS Loan of N10 million; organized skills acquisition training for youths across the 24 wards of Ogoja/Yala including cash for start-ups; paid JAMB registration fee for 240 students from 24 wards of Ogoja/Yala; payment of bursary to students of a high institution of learning in Ogoja/Yala; provision of materials against COVID-19 pandemic in the constituency including hand sanitizers, nose masks, and hand gloves along with palliative to vulnerable persons.

He also reeled out some ongoing and completed projects facilitated by the lawmaker in his federal constituency which include supply and installation of 2nos kva Transformers in Ogoja; onstruction of Nwang road in Ekajuk; construction of classroom block with library and offices for Comprehensive Secondary School in Ekajuk, Ogoja LGA; drilling and installation of solar-powered bore-hole projects at Abachor-Okuku in Yala LGA; Wanikade Ward, Yala LG; Ogoja Central Mosque; Ishindede in Ibil, Ogoja; Ntagamol, Ogoja; Bansara, Ogoja; Ekumtak, Mbube; Ishi-aya, Ogoja; Oyirim, Ogoja; Okpodon, Ogoja; Oba, Yala; Ijiraga, Yala; Gabu, Yala; Abachor, Yala; and Igbekurikor, Yala; Yehe, Yala.

From the above, we can attest that Hon Jarigbe is a purpose-driven leader who is ready to rescue our people by providing more employment, projects, build infrastructure, and render services to us.

He is people-oriented and concerns about the rural areas because he felt the pains of those in rural areas. “Your total support for him won’t be a regret but a plus in the development of our dear political district”, he added.

In a related development, the Cross River State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has kicked off electioneering campaign for the Cross River Northern Senatorial District with Mr. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe as its flag bearer with the inauguration of a campaign council
Addressing the campaign council, Barrister Venatius Ikem, the Director-General of the Campaign Council congratulated every member of the campaign council on their appointment,

Ikem who is also a PDP state chairmanship candidate in the forth coming state Congress of the party, charged everyone to remain steadfast and focus on delivering victory to the PDP and Jarigbe Agom in the forthcoming Senatorial election.

Also Speaking, Chief Austine Edibe the Secretary-General of the Campaign Council underlined the need for unity especially in the days ahead,

Chief Austine appealed to all members of PDP to take the Jarigbe Agom message of a better Cross River North to every part of the Senatorial district.

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Strategic Partnerships, Diaspora Investment and Improved Workforce Critical to Industrialization-DG RMRDC

Published

2 days ago

November 12, 2026

The Gleamer

By: Stella Azi and Adaora Adibe

The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, has called for a strategic shift from the exportation of raw commodities to domestic processing, manufacturing and value addition, declaring that Nigeria possesses enormous untapped raw material resources capable of driving industrialisation, creating jobs and strengthening the country’s economic competitiveness.

Prof. Ike-Muonso made this submission in a lecture titled Unlocking Nigeria’s Raw Material Value Chain for Industrialization, Manufacturing and Competitiveness, where he presented an extensive assessment of Nigeria’s resource endowments, industrial challenges and emerging investment opportunities across agricultural commodities, solid minerals and waste-based raw materials.

The lecture highlighted a combined US$2.65 trillion global market opportunity across 30 major raw material value chains, comprising 12 agricultural value chains valued at US$932 billion, 11 mineral value chains worth US$1.352 trillion and seven circular-economy value chains estimated at US$366 billion.

According to the RMRDC Boss, Nigeria must move beyond the traditional approach of extracting and exporting raw materials to building competitive domestic industries that transform these resources into intermediate products, industrial inputs and finished goods for local consumption and international markets.

He observed that the country’s manufacturing sector has struggled to sustain its 2014 peak, with its contribution to real Gross Domestic Product declining from 9.64 per cent in 2014 to 8.05 per cent in 2025, representing a 16.5 per cent decline. He also drew attention to the increasing cost of raw material imports, which rose to US$20.5 billion in 2025, approximately six times the 2020 level.

He explained that the growing dependence on imported industrial inputs exposes Nigerian manufacturers to foreign exchange volatility, increases production costs and weakens the competitiveness of locally manufactured products.

Prof. ke-Muonso stressed that the solution lies in developing domestic raw material value chains through deliberate investment in processing facilities, research and development, technology, infrastructure and stronger linkages between producers, processors and manufacturers.

He identified agriculture, solid minerals and industrial waste as three major resource platforms for Nigeria’s industrial transformation, stating the country’s significant production capacity and the enormous opportunities available for downstream processing.

Ike-Muonso noted that Nigeria produces over 63 million metric tonnes of cassava annually, making it the world’s largest producer, while also maintaining strong positions in cocoa, cashew, sesame, palm oil and cotton. However, more than 80 per cent of agricultural output leaves farms without adequate processing, resulting in the loss of significant economic value and industrial opportunities.

In the solid minerals sector, he identified more than 44 commercially viable minerals across over 500 locations, including lithium, gold, barite, bitumen, iron ore and high-grade limestone, describing them as strategic resources capable of supporting steel production, energy storage, electrification and advanced manufacturing.

The DG further drew attention to Nigeria’s industrial and agro-waste resources, noting that the country generates over 32 million tonnes of solid waste annually. He explained that agricultural residues, cassava peels, scrap metals, plastics and electronic waste could serve as important feedstock for bio-fertilisers, industrial chemicals, recycled polymers, energy production and other manufacturing applications.

In the agricultural sector, the DG identified cassava and industrial starch, cotton and natural textiles, natural rubber and elastomers, oil palm and oleochemicals, maize derivatives and cocoa processing as priority areas requiring increased investment.

He explained that processing agricultural commodities into industrial starch, sweeteners, textiles, technical rubber, specialty fats and other intermediate products would enable Nigeria to capture more value from its agricultural resources while reducing dependence on imported industrial inputs.

For the minerals sector, he highlighted crude oil-to-olefins and petrochemicals, lithium and energy storage, iron ore and steel, rare earth elements, bauxite and aluminium, and copper and electrification as strategic investment opportunities.

He particularly emphasised the importance of moving beyond mineral extraction into beneficiation, refining, battery precursors, industrial chemicals, metal fabrication and advanced materials production.

On the circular economy, Prof. Ike-Muonso identified electronic waste recovery, scrap metal recycling, plastic waste processing, agro-waste valorisation and battery recycling as emerging industrial opportunities.

He explained that transforming waste into productive industrial feedstock would not only reduce environmental pollution but also create new manufacturing industries, generate employment and reduce the importation of valuable industrial materials.

He noted that to address the structural challenges confronting raw material-based industrialisation, the DG highlighted the strategic interventions of the RMRDC, particularly the proposed 30% Value Addition Bill and the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP).

He described the 30% Value Addition Bill as an important policy instrument designed to encourage domestic processing of raw materials before export, strengthen local manufacturing capacity and guarantee access to essential raw materials for Nigerian industries, and NISSRAMP as a critical data infrastructure that would improve access to verified information on the availability, location and quality of raw materials.

According to him, the combination of appropriate policy instruments and reliable resource data would help de-risk investments, improve transparency and strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration among government, academia and industry in developing bankable projects, sharing investment risks and accelerating the establishment of processing and manufacturing facilities.

Professor Ike-Muonso called on Nigerians in the diaspora and other local and international investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He identified industrial processing parks, mineral beneficiation and refining, agro-industrial platforms, circular-material processing, industrial input manufacturing and enabling infrastructure as viable investment platforms.

He noted that diaspora investors could contribute beyond financial capital by bringing technology, international business networks, governance standards, technical expertise and access to global markets.

He maintained that Nigeria’s industrial transformation requires coordinated investment across the entire value chain, from raw material sourcing and aggregation to processing, manufacturing, certification and export development.

Professor Ike-Muonso stressed that the country’s industrial future would depend not merely on the volume of raw materials extracted but on the capacity to transform them into competitive products that meet domestic and international market requirements.

He maintained that developing local value chains would stimulate industrial growth, create employment opportunities, diversify exports, conserve foreign exchange and deepen Nigeria’s technological capabilities.

Through its strategic interventions, the RMRDC is positioning itself as a critical bridge between resource availability, investment opportunities and industrial competitiveness, with the ultimate objective of transforming Nigeria from a predominantly raw material exporting economy into a strong manufacturing and value-adding nation.

Ike-Muonso has demonstrated this since assumption of office as the Director General/ CEO RMRDC in the area of capacity building, improved working conditions, promotion of merit, and maintaining a conducive environment that rewards excellence, innovation and dedication. This is evident in his institution of RMRDC training school, reward for winners of the RMRDC innovation challenge among others.

His commitment has brought recognition both nationally and internationally: Al-Jazirah double honour awards as Public Servant /Government Agency of the year 2024-2025 and the recent election as the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Representative on the Board of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations (WAITRO) is a attestation to his commitment.

Concluding the lecture, the DG charged staff, researchers, manufacturers and investors to see themselves as nation builders in the new era of raw materials-led industrialization.

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