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Military: Why falsehood can not prevail

Published

6 years ago

April 9, 2020

By Adamu Kabir

Falsehood, though a social discordance, has become trade for some unscrupulous elements of the society. More worrisome is the involvement of some media practitioners who are at the fore front of speeding lies in the name of journalism with out minding the repercussion of such to the society.

Before now, the media was an instrument for public enlightenment and education. It was also a tool for mass mobilization. In Nigeria and else where, the media played a vital role for gaining independence and other developmental strides. Regrettably, the media today is being highjacked by some unscrupulous elements for societal destruct.

For instance, the recent redeployments carried out by the Nigerian Army has again elicited reactions from some certain quarters after a news medium in their opaque wisdom twisted the narrative in an attempt to mislead the general public into believing what is not the case.

It is unfortunate that the likes of Sahara Reporters has consistently proven to strive on falsehood and malicious reportage which if not checked could destroy Nigera’s unity.

It is no secret that Sahara Reporters has turned itself to propaganda platform where the highest bidders with malicious motives are serviced. Its editorial style smacks a mockery of what journalism entails. Its writing style is unprofessional and lacks every sense of standard editing protocols. It’s more like a copy and pastes session where they are eager to publish in return for their paycheck.

This brings me to the recent publication by the same Sahara Reporters wherein it stated mischievously that the recent redeployment of the Theater Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole in North-East Nigeria by the Nigerian Army was done because Major General Olusegun Adeniyi complained and exposed the inefficiencies of the operations of the Nigerian Army in North-East Nigeria.

This was not surprising coming from the stable of Sahara Reporters. But the challenge here is the fact that the news medium would elect to pass such falsehood to the unsuspecting general public with so much impunity, not minding whose ox is gored.

Funny as it might sound, Sahara Reporters is not conversant with military operations, and as such, it is smacks of a mockery for it to attempt to blackmail the Nigerian Military for a purely military action. I am constrained to pen this article to put issues in proper perspectives as one conversant with the operations of the Nigerian Military with regards to promotions, demotions, appointments, and redeployments.

Its worth of note that there are standard procedures in the Nigerian Military with regards to the above mentioned. The operational strategies of the Military are always subjected to routine appraisals, and based on reviews, such things as promotions, deployments, and the likes are effected in boosting the operational effectiveness of the force.

It is standard procedure, not just in the Nigerian Military, for occasional rotation of officers in their various commands. This is so because when an officer stays too long in a duty post, there is a tendency for such officer to get compromised in the cause of the discharge of their duties. This practice is not just restricted to Nigeria but the world over. This is easily verifiable.

So, that Sahara Reporters sees the redeployment of Major General Olusegun Adeniyi as witch-hunting is a function of two variables. One is the fact that they must have acted in crass ignorance of standard military practice, and two, they carried out the instructions of their paymasters to cause disaffection in the polity.

Either of the above, their action is quite despicable and capable of causing unrest in the country. And not just that, their actions can go a long way in causing mutiny in the Nigerian Military for very obvious reasons. It must be stated that since the formation of Operation Lafiya Dole in North-East Nigeria, scores of commanders have been appointed and replaced by the military hierarchy in line with standard practice. And this standard practice was what led to the appointment of Major General Olusegun Adeniyi in August of 2019 when he took over from Major General Benson Akinroluyo.

It also suffices to add that Major General Olusegun Adeniyi has been in the theatre of operations in Maiduguri for a while. He was the deputy theatre commander to Major General Benson Akinroluyo, whom he subsequently took over from as commander in 2019. So in a way, the narrative been pushed by Sahara Reporters is not only defective, but it is also of poor taste given the fact that Major General Olusegun Adeniyi has been in the theatre of operations for over four years as deputy theatre commander and subsequently as commander.

I must emphasize that, this is the standard practice, and this much as seen to the various rotations of officers across military formations in the country. Mind you; the recent redeployments didn’t affect Major General Olusegun Adeniyi alone as scores of officers were also affected.

The public ought to be aware and Sahara Reporters desist from crucifying the Nigerian Military for no justifiable reason. It must also do well to learn not to delve into issues that are routine military practice the world over. It is, therefore, my considered opinion that this is not a time to play to the gallery. They can continue their money for stories regime, but I beg that the Nigerian Military is spared their shenanigans.

Considering the magnitude of the task at hand, all well meaning citizens would realise that there is need for serious concentration, and this much Sahara Reporters must realize and come to terms with. They should also do well to educate their paymasters that spreading falsehood against the Military serves no good now and always.

A cursory assessment of Sahara Reporters reportage on issues especially in recent times reveals it all that they are paid to do hatchet job. This much the public must know and disregard the tissues of lies it dishes out under the pretext of journalism.

Adamu Kabir, writes from Maiduguri, Borno State

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Business

Turning Africa’s Raw Materials Into Wealth: The ARMS 2026 Industrial Agenda

Published

3 days ago

September 29, 2026

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

For decades, Africa’s vast natural resources have powered industries and economies far beyond the continent, while many African countries have remained largely exporters of unprocessed commodities and importers of finished products.

That familiar pattern is now coming under renewed scrutiny as policymakers, researchers, investors and industrialists seek to change the direction of Africa’s resource economy.

At the centre of that conversation is the second edition of the Africa Raw Materials Summit (ARMS 2026), scheduled for October 19 and 20 at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, under the theme: “From African Feedstock to African Factories.”

Organised by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), the summit is being positioned as more than another gathering of policymakers and industry stakeholders. It is intended to provide a platform for confronting the structural challenges that have kept African raw materials largely disconnected from local manufacturing.

Africa has for years operated largely within a “pit-to-port” economic model, exporting raw materials while importing expensive finished products.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the summit on Tuesday in Abuja, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martin Ike-Muonso, said the event would bring together policymakers, investors, researchers, technology providers and industrialists to develop practical strategies for transforming Africa’s abundant natural resources into industrial wealth.

The challenge, therefore, is not simply the abundance of resources, but the continent’s ability to transform those resources into industrial value, employment, technology and wealth within Africa.

Nigeria alone, according to the RMRDC, has more than $582.4 billion in documented non-renewable natural resources, while the wider continent possesses substantial deposits of critical minerals, agricultural raw materials and industrial feedstock.

Yet, the benefits of this resource endowment have often been constrained by inadequate processing capacity, weak infrastructure, limited technology, financing gaps and fragmented regional value chains.

From Dialogue to Industrial Action

ARMS 2026 builds on the maiden edition held in May 2025, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates from across the world.

The inaugural summit also witnessed the unveiling of the Ten-Year Raw Materials Transformation Roadmap (2025–2034) by the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owen Enoh.

The roadmap was designed around areas including technological capability, climate-resilient processing and backward integration, establishing a policy framework for greater domestic utilisation of Africa’s raw materials.

The second edition is expected to move the conversation further by bringing policy, capital, technology and industrial stakeholders around practical mechanisms for turning raw materials into locally manufactured products.

One of the major proposals highlighted by the RMRDC is the 30 per cent Mandatory Value Addition Bill, which seeks to establish a statutory minimum level of value addition to Nigerian raw materials before export.

The Council says the proposed framework could support job creation, import substitution, foreign-exchange conservation and increased manufacturing contribution to the economy.

Building the Infrastructure for Value Addition

The industrial transformation envisaged by ARMS 2026 goes beyond legislation.

A major concern is the “missing middle” between where raw materials are produced and where factories are located.

Poor transportation networks, inadequate cold-chain facilities, weak rural roads, limited testing and certification infrastructure and border-related delays can make locally sourced materials more expensive and less competitive.

Consequently, logistics and infrastructure constitute one of the five principal pillars of the summit.

The objective is to develop more reliable corridors connecting farms and mines with processing centres and manufacturing facilities, thereby reducing losses and improving the movement of industrial inputs.

The Digital Dimension

Technology is also becoming an important part of the Council’s strategy.

The RMRDC says it has developed the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP), described as a digital repository containing information on feedstock deposits, specifications, production outputs and industrial absorption rates.

The Council has also highlighted its transition towards paperless operations and its certification as a Data Controller/Processor of Major Importance by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

Such digital infrastructure could provide investors and manufacturers with better information about the availability and characteristics of raw materials while supporting more informed industrial planning.

Turning Waste Into Industrial Inputs

Another major component of ARMS 2026 is the proposed expansion of the circular economy.

The summit will examine how agricultural by-products, mine tailings, scrap metals and biomass can be recovered and reused as inputs for new production processes rather than being treated simply as waste.

The RMRDC argues that such an approach could lower raw-material costs while supporting more sustainable and climate-resilient manufacturing systems.

For Africa, where industrial expansion must increasingly balance economic development with environmental considerations, waste industrialisation could become an important part of the continent’s manufacturing conversation.

From National Production to African Value Chains

The African Continental Free Trade Area is another important element of the summit’s agenda.

The RMRDC sees AfCFTA as an opportunity to create regional value chains in which raw materials sourced in one African country can be processed and supplied to manufacturers in another.

Under such a model, Africa would move beyond simply exporting commodities to external markets and develop stronger internal networks for supplying chemicals, refined minerals, agricultural inputs and other industrial materials across national borders.

This approach places regional integration at the heart of Africa’s industrialisation strategy.

Bridging Research and Capital

A recurring weakness in many developing economies is the gap between research and commercialisation.

Innovations may emerge from universities, research institutions and laboratories without receiving the financing, equipment or market connections required to become commercially viable.

ARMS 2026 intends to address that gap through technology commercialisation and capital linkages, connecting research outputs with investors, development finance institutions and industrial off-takers.

The RMRDC has also cited partnerships with the Bank of Industry for commercial-scale post-harvest processing and a South-South technology-transfer partnership with the National Innovation Centre par Excellence in Shanghai, China.

A Larger Industrial Conversation

The scale of ARMS 2026 is expected to be significantly larger than the maiden edition.

The organisers project more than 1,800 delegates from all 54 African countries and global industrial partners.

The programme will feature high-level policy dialogues, technical panels, an advanced raw materials and technology exhibition, industrial site visits and the African Raw Materials Industry Awards.

The exhibition, in particular, is expected to showcase locally fabricated processing machinery, advanced domestic materials, green chemicals and engineered commercial inputs.

Beyond the speeches and exhibitions, however, the real significance of ARMS 2026 will ultimately depend on what happens after the summit.

Africa’s challenge has never been a shortage of raw materials. The more difficult question has been how to transform those resources into factories, products, skilled employment, technology and sustainable economic opportunities.

For Nigeria and the rest of the continent, the proposed shift from “pit-to-port” to “feedstock-to-factory” therefore represents a broader debate about the future structure of African economies.

ARMS 2026 seeks to place that debate firmly on the industrial agenda — with value addition, technology, finance, infrastructure, circular production and regional trade at the centre.

If the commitments and partnerships generated by the summit translate into measurable industrial activity, the event could provide another platform for Africa to examine how its enormous resource base can support stronger domestic manufacturing.

The message from the organisers is clear: the continent’s raw materials should not only leave African soil as commodities; they should increasingly become the foundation for African industrial production

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