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FG Agric programme: Choice of Ogun, testimony of our policy on agriculture

Published

5 years ago

January 29, 2020

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has described the choice of the State to pioneer the Federal government programme on agriculture in the Southwest region of the country as a testimony to his administration’s policy on agriculture, which he said was aimed at ensuring food security and source of employment.

Abiodun, who stated this while receiving the Minister for Agriculture, Alhaji Mohammed Sabo Nanono in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, said the State with more than 16,000 square kilometers, of which 12, 000 square kilometers which was arable, has potentials for the cultivation of food and cash crops including cocoa, cotton, palm oil among others.

Alhaji Nanono had earlier told the governor that the State has been chosen to serve as a pioneer in the Southwest for the Federal Government mechanization programme for the production of cocoa and rice in the country.

According to the Minister, “Ogun is one of the states in the southwest that we have interest in in two vital areas of cocoa, rice production and also in agricultural mechanization which is going to affect 632 Local Government Areas across the country. We will consider Ogun as one of the states that will be the pioneer in the southwest”, he noted.

Alhaji Nanono regretted that Nigeria was still planting cocoa that takes more than seven years to yield, while her neighbors have developed through the assistance of ECOWAS fund, new varieties of cocoa that yield in less than three years, saying that it was time to embrace the new methods.

He said the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has come up with a package of developing new varieties of palm oil in Calabar and cocoa in Ondo State, noting the Federal Government was still discussing with FAO to chart a new way forward.

“When we take it overall (globally), we have to forecast on new varieties of cocoa that will yield in two and a half years across the board not only in Ondo State but other States in the southwest. We are going to make the programme on cocoa a national and not a state issue.

We are going for agricultural mechanization. 632 Local Government Areas will be affected. There will be processing centers, about 140 under an agreement with the Brazilian government, with Brazilian and European Banks to finance this project but it is going to be private-sector driven.

“The Federal Government will support and guarantee the facilities for the supply of Directors and in each of the 632 Local Government, there will be service centers and these centers will entail one director, an Information Technology and administrative office, a workshop and a warehouse for raw materials and finished products”, he explained.

Abiodun who promised to support the federal government towards the successful implementation of the new programme said his administration was looking at cultivating cotton and rice as well as resuscitating its over 6,000 hectares of palm oil plantation. “We are quite happy about the opportunity that agriculture presents to us.

We are also looking at growing cotton and rice, resuscitating our palm oil plantation of about 6,000 hectares. I just want to urge you that any of these pilot schemes, the cocoa pilot schemes that is going on in Ondo or any other scheme, this is where they should come because we are the Gateway state. We will give you all the support that you require,” he said.

The Governor also assured the Minister that the State was also capable of providing people for extension services, as it already has the database of people who are interested in agriculture. Governor Abiodun also disclosed that his administration was looking for potential investors to partner the state in palm oil production, saying that the would-be investors only need to have a refinery in the state as part of the criteria for the deal.

“Ogun State is ready for you, whatever it is that you have a plan for us, we are ready, we have a job portal from which if you need 100,000 people for extension services, we can provide it immediately. We don’t have to start looking for them because we have them. What we simply did was to ensure that those that were interested in agriculture were enumerated. We have their details. We even checked their qualifications to ascertain their zeal for agriculture.

“We are looking for potential partners to come and partner with us in the area of palm oil production. We have some conditions they must meet. They must put a refinery here. We will give them an existing palm plantation and also give them additional land,” he said.

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

Published

6 hours 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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