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JARIGBE DRIVING GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT IN C/RIVER NORTH

Published

6 years ago

November 21, 2020

Cyril Ogar

The race for the replacement of late Senator Rose Oko in the National Assembly has continued to gather momentum as the two major parties contending for the seat are mobilizing forces to ensure that they grab the Cross River Northern Senatorial District seat.

The race is a straight battle between the candidates of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom and that of the All Progressives Congress, Joe Agi, SAN has witnessed new and stronger campaign strategies since the postponement of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as a result of the #EndSARS protest in the country.

Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, currently a member of the House of Representatives, who represents Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency is not giving up the battle for the ticket of the PDP for the election. He believes that he won the primary and should be the party’s flagbearer.

He is seen as a candidate who stands out in the popularity contest and the candidate to beat in the election.

Elected into the Green Chambers in 2015, Hon. Agom has kept in touch with those who elected him to serve via his legislative outreach and constituent’s involvement in the smooth running of the federal constituency.

In his desire to make life meaningful for his people, the lawmaker took a need assessment tour within his constituency where he engaged his constituents to exray their myriads of challenges. This tour resulted in the provision of some critical infrastructure, facilitated by the lawmaker for improved living standards and economic growth.

Within his first term in office, the young lawmaker ran an open-door policy, with the help and support of his constituents, and a lot was achieved. Hon. Agom influenced, through recommendation, the employment of many constituents into various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, including the Civil Defense, Federal Road Safety, Nigerian Army, Police, EFCC, Banks, Department Of Petroleum Resources, to mention but a few.

AMONG SOME OF HIS PROJECTS INCLUDE:

Electrification of Idum, Adum, and Igbo in Wanihem ward. Yala LGA (REA) Supply and Installation of a 500kva transformer in Wanibolor. Yala LGA ( Fed. Mins. of Power Works & Housing), Drilling and Installation of Motorised borehole in Okuku. Drilling & Installation of 1No Motorised borehole in Yache.

The home town of Dr. Stephen Odey, Drilling & Installation of Solar Powered borehole in Ikajor Ward Ishibori in Ogoja Drilling & Installation of Motorised borehole in Nkum Irede, Ibil in Ogoja, Drilling & Installation of 1No Motorised borehole in Idum Mbube. Electrification of Mbube East from Benkpe, Supply & Installation of 500kva transformer in Oboso, Mbube (Fed. Mins. of Power Works & Housing), Empowerment & training of over 250 youths in vocational skill acquisition in his constituency over 8million was giving out in cash for startups, He facilitated the construction of the (old) Union Bank Road, Igoli-Ogoja LGA- NDDC 2016 Budget and many others.

On his first primary assignment as a lawmaker, Jarigbe has sponsored 10 bills and four motions on the floor of the green chambers for the benefit of Cross River State and Nigeria in general

Others include:

University of Calabar Act (Amendment) Bill 2017(Amendment of cap U5 LFN 2004), A Bill for an act to provide for the establishment of a Federal University of Technology, OGOJA and for other matters connected therewith 2018, A Bill for the establishment of a Federal Polytechnic in Yala 2018.

MOTIONS:

Call for Rehabilitation of the Road from Yahe-Ukelle in Yala LGA of Cross River State to Igede in Oju LGA of Benue State, 25/11/2015.

Urgent Need to Investigate Acts of Procedural Breach by the Management of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), 08/03/2016.

Urgent Need to Investigate the Huge Debts Owed to PPMC by Major and Independent Oil Marketers/Sabotage by Some Oil Marketers, 29/09/2016.

Urgent need to investigate the mysterious death of the Late Joy Odama; Crutech Student, 21 years, from Yala, who died controversially in the house of one Alhaji Usman Adamu in Abuja.

It is worthy to note that one of Hon. Jarigbe’s Bill, HB 262 University of Abuja Act (Amendment) Bill, 2015 has passed the third (3rd) reading and was assented to by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is now gazetted as one of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN).

He has also intervened in several cases, especially through cash donations, gifts, cars, tricycles, sewing machines, funding of small scale businesses, procurement of farm inputs for farmers, construction of solar-powered boreholes, skill acquisition training, scholarship to deserving constituents, and many others.

Following his outstanding legislative performance and constituency development, Hon. Agom was re-elected for a second term to consolidate and sustain the tempo of his outreach. On marking the first year of his re-election for a second term, the pragmatic lawmaker sent out a touching message to his constituents.

He wrote: “I come on this platform to thank the Ogoja/ Yala people for the confidence reposed in me, exactly one year ago. My greatest joy is that my brother and friend who contested on the opposite platform is one of my closest allies today. We’ve long moved on. He didn’t emerge because he had special skills but because it’s God’s chosen time for me to serve our people.

“We are mere mortals and can’t assume invincibility.

Your continued support is invaluable and my promise to you is that- I AM POISED to delivering on this MANDATE you graciously gave to me in Trust. I remain eternally indebted to you all for this rare opportunity. God bless you all”.

Barely Seven Months from the inauguration into the 9th Assembly for a second term, Rt. Hon Jarigbe Agom has done the following.

Rt. Hon Jarigbe Agom has empowered over 200 Constituents from across the 24 wards of Ogoja/Yala with Birds, Feeds, and Vaccines.

He has done free medical outreach across Ogoja/Yala with Over 5,000 constituents as beneficiaries.

He has also empowered over 50 constituents with motorcycles, over 25 Tricycles, mechanized farm implements,s and 5 Cars to people across Ogoja/Yala.

Supply and Installation of 2,500kva transformers in Ogoja.

He has also extended his hand of goodwill by giving out N250,000 to youth from Ijibor in Bekwarra local government area to start up a business.

Rt. Hon Jarigbe Agom made a passionate appeal for a fire truck to be made available for the fire Department in Ogoja.

Rehabilitation of Borehole in Ochochi Okpudu in Okpoma, in Yala LGA.

Presented wrappers and cash to all the widows in the constituency during the Yuletide season. (2019).

Rt. Hon Jarigbe Agom facilitated the entrepreneurship development training for more than 400 constituents to enable them to access the CBN AGSMEIS Loan of N10m. The training fee was over N5m

He has organized skills acquisition training for youths across the 24 wards of Ogoja/Yala where cash was also given for start-ups.

He has purchased 240 jamb forms for Jambites across the 24 wards of Ogoja/Yala.

Hon Jarigbe Agom has affected the payment of Bursary to constituents across Ogoja/Yala which is ongoing.

With the mandate bestowed on him by the electorate, he sees himself having a commitment and a social contract of service for the overall interest of his people.

Hon Jarigbe, the voters have already decided, they approve of his philosophies and have chosen to place their trust in him; that allows him not only to represent by listening but also to represent by leading, by shaping opinions. He possesses the passion, experience, disposition, and sagacity to satisfactorily represent his people.

As a lawmaker, he is appealing to the best instincts of your constituents, he ran for a legislative office to make a difference, a difference for the better; and yes, he is putting the people first by his utmost commitment to their needs, in a very special way.

Legislative service is one of democracy’s worthiest pursuits. It is an important duty that deserves time, attention and dedication, in all of these tight engagements, you are never far from your people, hence your doors are open and accessible to your constituents far and near and even others in the diaspora

Besides, he has made the job of a lawmaker a lot more interesting to your supporters because you really know the people you represent. He used his skills and office to help communities find solutions. He returns phone calls, answers e-mails and letters, has town hall meetings, and replies to chats; this is awesomely encouraging and commendable.

Representation requires a bond of trust between citizens and their representatives; this bond, he holds in high esteem because enjoys the support and goodwill of his constituents in view of his openness, transparency, worthiness, accountability, and accessibility.

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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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