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AFRICA AND THE COUP CONUNDRUMS

Published

1 year ago

July 29, 2023

By Olubunmi Mayaki

The unfortunate overthrow of the democratically elected government of the President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum in a coup led by a certain Colonel-Major Amadou Adrammane.
Concerted efforts were made by ECOWAS leaders yesterday to resolve the political imbroglio but the talks collapsed when the junta announced the change of government.

Yet another African nation has fallen into the hands of a military coup.

I had discussed in a side talk at a forum recently with a group of political analysts of the sudden reoccurrence of coups in the African continent. I never knew another one was in the offing.
At this stage, Africans should be worried. Worried, because civil rule is being threatened once again by the craze for power by the military. A quick reminder shows that Sudan has been locked in crisis for some months now, which is a leadership tussle between the military leadership and a renegade group known as Rapid Safety Force, which is doing everything to wrestle power from the government. Efforts at resolving the crisis are yet to yield positive fruits. There are palpable fears that it is gradually snowballing into civil war. Unfortunately, African leaders seem not to have learned from the continent’s history.

It is easier to make the military a scapegoat. However, emerging issues from different African countries would, perhaps, show that much of the blames must be put on the doorsteps of African leaders. It is important, therefore, to look at why the men in uniform have suddenly decided to seize power at this time in the continent’s history.

One, the African continent has only been gifted with a few good leaders. Most countries in Africa are plagued with bad leaders, many of who know nothing about governance. These have led to years of underdevelopment of the continent. The migrant crises in the world today attest to the fact that Africans are the highest culprit. Africa is losing its best brains to other parts of the world to seek better opportunities elsewhere. The blame should be put on the doorsteps of African leaders for failing to do more for their citizens.
Two, most African leaders abandon their country’s constitutions as soon as they assume power. Therefore, ruling with the rule of law seems a mirage. Most governments are fraught with brazen violations of human rights and the Constitution. These often lead to one thing- crisis.
Three, African leaders are yet to be detached from the apron strings of colonialism. Foreign interests are destabilizing forces of the African continent. Why blame these foreign intrusions? They are manufacturers of weapons and they must look for markets for its ever-increasing weapon industry. It is pure logic that to sell the weapons there must be crisis. Are we still wondering why wars and crises fester in Africa?
Four, one of the major challenges of African leaders is the propagation of anti-people policies. Most policies in Africa only benefit political loyalists and elites. These breed elite conspiracy such that only those close to the seat of power or the ruling party enjoy government largesse. Many populists are thrown into untold hardships.
Five, corruption stays as a major challenge to African leaders. If we have bad roads, people dying in our hospitals, the collapse of educational systems, etc., many may not realize that they are the fingerprints of corruption.
Every opportunity in the seat of government creates an avenue to loot the country’s treasury. Of course, the bulk of the loot is stashed in foreign accounts. If we fail to tackle corruption, Africa will continue to play second fiddle in world affairs.

Six, there has been noticeable infighting among African leaders. Most of these fights are on how to share the country’s minimal proceeds from its vast wealth and resources. Anarchy can not be prevented when the commonwealth of a nation is shared by a few hands while others languish in abject destitution.

My postscript is a direct call to African leaders to allow democracy or civil rule to thrive on the continent. Every effort should be done for its populists to enjoy good governance.
If they fail to yield to the voices of reasoning the challenges we face as Africans will sadly persist.
A timely reminder that he who fails to learn from his past will become the victim of his history.

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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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