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Flagoff of Unity Torch Movement for 20th National Sports Festival : President Applauds Minister

Published

5 years ago

January 30, 2020

President Muhammadu Buhari today Thursday 30th of January, 2019, played host the Minister Of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, to
flagoff the movement of he Torch Of Unity for the 20th National Sports Festival at State House in Abuja.

The President in his speech, reiterated his administration’s commitment to foster an enabling environment for sports at all level. “May I once again reiterate this administration’s commitment to continue to support and provide enabling environment for the development of sports at all level”, the President assured.

He commended the Federal Ministry Of Youth and Sports under the leadership of the Minister, particularly his doggedness in ensuring the continually following his mandate on keeping the youth busy.
“The Federal Ministry Of Youth and Sports Development is the biggest constituency for keeping the youth busy and the Minister is doing a good job in that regard,” he said.

The Minister in his remarks, thanked. President for the importance his administration attaches to Youth and Sports development in Nigeria.

“I am particular joyous that this landmark event in our strategic plan for the Festival is being undertaken by Mr. President himself. This act is a testimony of the importance the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari attaches to youth and Sports development in the country”

Citing the significance of The Torch Of Unity to The National Sports Festival, the Minister added, “The Torch chiefly symbolizes unity, peace, friendship, tolerance and hope among Nigerians.
When The Torch moves round the cities and people see if, they begin to properly realize the Games are here, and it always brings a good feeling to everyone”.

The Minister used the occasion to intimate Mr. President on the Ministry’s Adoption campaign which received a nod from the President to the effect that hat all Nigerians of goodwill should take advantage of The Adoption Campaign to be part of making Sports great again in Nigeria.

In attendance were the Governor f Edo State, Godwin N. Obaseki, the Secretary to the Government of The Federation (SGF), Boss Gidahyelda Mustapha, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umaru Farouq, the Permanent Secretary Of The Ministry Of Youth and Sports Development, Gabriel Aduda amongst others.

The Torch Of Unity for the 20th National Sports Festival was presented to Mr. President by the Minister who then passed it back to the Minister who then handed it over to the Permanent Secretary Of The Ministry.

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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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