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2023: Amaechi Meets Uzodimma, APC South-East Chairmen, Delegates in Owerri

Published

2 years ago

April 27, 2022

Presidential Aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has met with party delegates from the five South Eastern States, to seek their support and votes in the primaries.

The consultation visit, hosted by Imo State Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodinma at the APC Secretariat in Owerri, Tuesday, had Party Chairmen, State Executives, Local Government Executives and delegates from Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi States.

Amaechi pledged that if given the opportunity, his experience in dealing with insecurity as Governor of Rivers State, will count in tackling same in the country.

“If you ask ‘why will they support us?’ I’m a young man, a bridge between the young and the old, a son of the soil, and I am approachable.”

“I may be one of the youngest, but I’m the most experienced. As Governor of Rivers State, what you’re currently facing here now, I faced in Port Harcourt, and I dealt with it and overcame it. Be rest assured that if we are given this power, we will overcome this crisis by God’s grace.”

Reiterating that he is not a sectional candidate, but a Nigerian candidate, Amaechi recounted his recommendations for appointments as being spread out to different parts of the country. “And when I was giving those recommendations, I never thought I would go for presidential consultations, I just felt there was need for balancing, because we are Nigerians, and if you see my team, it’s made of nearly every zone in the country.

“Give me this opportunity and you will see the difference. Trust me. Once you give me this opportunity, I will be sincere to you and to everybody. We will do our best to make sure that the Igbos are protected, the Yourubas will be protected, the Hausa/Fulani would be protected, everybody will be protected,” Amaechi said.

The Transportation Minister also assured the people that the ongoing reconstruction of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Eastern rail line would have been completed up to Enugu before the end of the year, adding that he included Owerri to the plan, which was not part of the old line.

He further thanked Governor Uzodinma for his support and for bringing the South East delegates together.

“No presidential aspirant will win the primary election or the general elections without the support of the governors, so we are not taking your (Uzodimma) support for granted. This is introduction, we will come back again to see you, to plead with you, to plead with the party in the whole of South East, the chairmen, the National officers and Zonal officers to support us, Amaechi said.

On his part, Imo State Governor, Sen. Hope assured assured the presidential aspirant, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, that the South East stands united to ensure that the APC wins the 2023 presidential election.

He said, “You will come again by the grace of God, either as an aspirant or as a candidate. One strong message I want to give, is that there is a new spirit in the South East for our great party, we have done all the necessary political engineering. APC in South East is united. APC South East is one.”

“We have two Governors of APC in South East. You must have also heard that our second Governor (David Umahi of Ebonyi State) has also declared interest to be president. But this is a contest between a brother and a brother, and when we enter the bedroom we will resolve it.

“We are determined to win, the message we are giving to Nigerians both members of our party, both those who are not of our party, is that the most important thing for our dear party APC is winnability. We want to win. Why? Because we are already doing well.

“So we cannot afford not to win. Today, APC South East will continue to show Nigerians that we are united. The Governor of Ebonyi would have been here, but because he’s expecting the President in a few days time for a State visit, he is not able to come. However, all the delegates from Ebonyi are here. We don’t have any problem with our brother (Amaechi) who is contesting election, we believe in the unity and the leadership of our party, and God knows that all the indications around, are pointing that we will win.

“Our dear President, Muhammadu Buhari who is the leader of the party, will not disappoint Ndigbo, he will not disappoint South East, he will not disappoint South South, he will not disappoint South West if there are Ndigbo there. So we are confident that we are on the right track,” he said.

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RMRDC: Making Giant Strides Under Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso

Published

2 days ago

September 19, 2024

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

As we embark on a journey, we always pray for an able, experienced, and courageous driver, pilot, or sailor depending on the means of transportation.

This is because the captain will have enough experience and boldness to navigate out of turbulence and to bring all the passengers and crew to the intended destination.

Interestingly, these fine qualities of ability, experience, boldness, and many more, abound in the man, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso, who we all are pleased was appointed the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, RMRDC, the Director General/CEO by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a few months ago. This is because he has brought his knowledge, ability, experience, and doggedness to bear in carrying out his assignment in charge of the Council.

The RMRDC, operating under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, is pivotal in driving Nigeria’s industrial growth by optimizing local raw materials exploitation, development, and utilization. RMRDC, ab initio, was conceived as a child of necessity when Nigeria was reeling from the throes of global recession and plummeting crude oil prices.

Without an iota of doubt, today, the council is experiencing a transformation with massive innovation in raw material exploitation, development, and utilization, supporting business and industrial growth, and contributing to Nigeria’s economic prosperity.

Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, in Abuja to commemorate his 100 days in office, he said the council is laying a solid foundation through numerous innovations that will further enhance growth in the country.

According to him, “In the past 100 days, my strategic pursuits have been to lay solid foundations for enduring success in these goals.

“Upon assuming this position, I set five crucial deliverables which include, refocusing the Council as a premier research institution; Strengthening the Council’s productivity and operational efficiency; and Significantly improving the staff welfare to be the best in the class of similar organizations.

“Others include, Boosting the Council’s visibility and instituting remarkable culture change that encourages ownership and productivity as well as Strengthening and deepening the Council’s place in the international arena.”While speaking on his Achievements so far, the DG revealed further: “My first task, therefore, was to implement a strategic goal-setting for the Council’s staff to define and set out clear objectives and targets to be achieved by the Council within a specified period towards refocusing on this historical mandate. We unleashed five significant initiatives in that regard.

“The nationwide raw material data collection exercise that focused on technical and investment information to drive our mission forward.

“The restructuring and renaming of the former Technology Innovation Complex (TIC), at the Obasanjo Space Center at Airport Road, Abuja, to a Research and Demonstration Plants Complex (RDPC). This complex will be Africa’s first center of excellence in raw material research, featuring state-of-the-art laboratories, technology development workshops, and proof of concept demonstrations.

“We have reactivated the Council’s Journal and repositioned it internationally. The repositioned Journal of Raw Material Research (JORMAR) will host RMRDC’s researchers’ publications, which are crucial in promoting awareness, facilitating knowledge sharing, and informing stakeholders about the opportunities and challenges in Nigeria’s raw materials sector. “The collaboration with universities and academies will strengthen our capacity for conducting market-guided research, ensuring sustained workforce training while deepening our orientation in science.

“The council has reformulated a new template for all our research proposals to ensure and sustain a clear departure from the old culture of blue-sky and deliberately endless research.”Speaking further, Prof Nwanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso stated that Staff welfare remains a top priority as an issue of unpaid salaries is settled as well as set up a comprehensive welfare program. “Similarly, we established the RMRDC Training School to sustainably build our staff and stakeholders’ capacity to further the staff welfare improvement goal.

“We are committed to openness, inclusiveness, and performance management and have initiated steps to continuously improve staff ownership, orchestrate transformative culture change, boost our corporate visibility, and enhance.

“To further strengthen our visibility and communication strategies, we are upgrading our media infrastructure, which includes the launch of the RMRDC online media platform, The RMRDC TV Online.

“Additionally, we are working hard to effectively enhance the intellectual property and patent portfolio of RMRDC from its current 40 to approximately 200 new patents within the next 24 months. This proactive approach secures valuable IP assets and positions the Council as a leader in innovation within the raw materials sector, contributing to Nigeria’s overall economic growth.“As well as launching an e-registration and certification portal to enhance transparency in the raw materials sector,” DG revealed.

He however reaffirmed his commitment to reshape the future of research, technology, and innovation, driving Nigeria towards an industrially vibrant and technologically resilient economy.

“As I mark 100 days in office, I boldly say that the Council is on the verge of rewriting its history.

“I believe that in no distant future, RMRDC will play a leading role in enhancing raw materials’ development to boost raw materials’ industrial trial processing and attain sustainable industrial growth in Nigeria.

The DG, however, applauded the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, for his unwavering support and mentorship, saying the Minister’s leadership has been instrumental in the progress made so far.

In his opening remarks, the Directorate of Corporate Affairs, Mr Chucks Ngaha commended the hard-working DG who has weathered the storm further to put the Council on the ladder of more prosperity.

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