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THE HYPOCRISY OF ‘ENYE NDI EBE A!’

Published

6 years ago

October 5, 2020

By Wordshot Amaechi Ugwele

During the 2019 general election in Enugu State, a radio jingle was done by the campaign team of the former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, representing Enugu West Senatorial District. Its appeal was easily traceable to the simple, sing-along, call and response choral style, that went thus: “e nye ndi ebe a, e nye ndi ebe a, e nye ndi eba, e nye ndi ebe a.” This is roughly interpreted, “you give to these people, you give to those people.”

The message most emphatically summed up the theme of equity he gave the impression was central to his campaign and thus political philosophy. This assumption had connected the song with his supporters and indeed everyone else who understood and loved the peace the fairness of giving to everyone had continued to usher in the State.

But, today, as we inch towards 2023, and as the pressure of events keeps forcing the lids off the fake and pretentious posturings of some political actors, we can now see how the Senator, who had sung and danced to his own song, extolling fair and equitable distribution of political opportunities and patronage, is increasingly showing lack of principles and genuine commitment to such beliefs, through his body language that is speaking eloquently towards its very subversion.

We can now certainly say “e nye ndi ebe a” had only mattered then, when it was self-beneficial when others had given him, as everything is currently suggesting he is obviously most uncharitably and ill-disposed to others getting as he did. And it is very important to properly contextualize this, in reminding us most of the major politicians in Enugu State today, including the Senator, were part and parcel of zoning, and had immensely benefited from it.

In fact, one can safely submit that all those people occupying major positions today in the state easily attained such by leveraging on the peace begetting principles of zoning, when the opportunity had met with their good luck that located the right within their domains.

Hence, we have had no agitations from no one, no quarters, nor this kind of subtle but potentially disruptive posturing and rhetoric’s, being deployed as forerunners to their intended subversion of the will of the people of Enugu State.

Even when we do have desperados in most political environments, those who are now feverishly working to see the always calm political stream in the state turn to raging torrents that must also flow uphill to quell their desperate thirst for power need be reminded no amount of blackmail or partisan shenanigans will ever lead to the abrogation of the ‘turn by turn’ principle that makes the sharing of political positions peaceful in the state. They had their turn. Those who have not had would have theirs.

We have not forgotten how the whole of Enugu then had waited for Enugu East to have their time with Governor Chimaroke Nnamani. Then it shifted to Enugu West with Governor Sullivan Chime who later handed over to the incumbent, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi from Enugu North. And while this went on at the state level, the substructures also observed theirs within the enclaves of their constituencies.

Now having gone round, that is by the time the tenure of Governor Ugwuanyi would be rounding off, it is trite to say the next round would commence in 2023, with Enugu East Senatorial Zone. As such we expect our maturity and culture of civilized conduct of politics in Enugu, as zoning helped to enthrone and as has been well consolidated by Governor Ugwuanyi who is the father of all in the state, should restrain and rein in those who are now allowing selfishness, ego fuelled ambition and other primordial tendencies, to let Enugu State be in peace.

There is no narrative, no matter how contrived, that can persuade the various illogic the Ekweremadu camp is dishing out. It is not the turn of his Enugu West. We must not disrupt a long-standing good process because he thinks by the time it would have reached their turn, time would have rendered him out of contention.

And it is indeed most unfortunate that after Senator Ekweremadu has seen and become everything zoning can give him for twenty years and counting, he is now hiding in the open to push for the removal of the ladder through which he had raised that is meant to equitably serve others.

But, for him to want to thwart a system he had been a huge beneficiary, and take the chance of others it is now their turn, simply mean he was paying mere lip service when he had stood at various campaign podiums in 2019 to sing his “e nye ndi ebe a, e nye ndi ebe a.” Perhaps that is why he monopolized that Senate position, as it could shift from his Aninri to neither Awgu, Oji River, Ezeagu nor Udi local government areas that make up the zone, in the last sixteen years.

So, what actually was he giving to “these people and those people” in Enugu West? Crumbs that must come from only his table? Well, this mentality of “only me is good enough”, to go and get and “share” is what zoning has been preventing. That is why people don’t support those with perpetuity syndrome as Senator Ekweremadu is manifestly afflicted, as they sit tight at the expense of others whose places should also have had their own turns. Besides, when you look at the peace and political stability zoning has brought to Enugu, as has been earlier noted, you will agree those who invented it as a political culture deserve the Nobel peace prize. Enugu had been devoid of strife, and rancorous party politics since democracy stabilized here post 1999. We cannot now afford it otherwise.

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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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