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Nigerians desirous of true electoral process – Oborevwori

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Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has charged electoral umpires to ensure free, fair, transparent, and credible elections that will generally reflect the will of the people.

Governor Oborevwori who gave the charge while swearing-in Chairman and members of the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission DSIEC, on Monday in Asaba, said Nigerians from all walks of life were desirous of an electoral process where the will of the people would prevail.

Those sworn-in include; Dr Jerry Agbaike as Chairman while Mr James Umukoro; Mr Friday Seimode; Mrs Light Diden; Mr Imasua Azogbulem; Mr Chris Onwuma and Chief Frank Oru are members.

The Governor also swore in the Chairman and members of the Delta State Local Government Service Commission with Hon. Joseph Otirhue as Chairman; while Mr. Anslem Nwokenye; Dame Minnie Igbrude and Hon. Philomena Ededey are members.

Similarly, Delta State Contributory Health Commission has Dr. Austin Obidi as Chairman and Dr. Isaac Akpoveta as Director-General.

He said the primary responsibility of (DSIEC) is to organize, undertake, and supervise all elections to local government councils within the state in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as altered).

Governor Oborevwori said that members of the Commission were carefully selected to reflect the values of probity, accountability, and strength of character that they should possess.

He urged members of the Commission to ensure that the will of voters prevails at all times in all elections they will organise.

The Governor said: “It goes without saying that Nigerians from all walks of life are desirous of an electoral process where the will of the people prevail. Deltans are no exception.

“Hence, I charge the new members of DSIEC to model the values of honesty, transparency, impartiality, courage, and respect for the rule of law.

“As we gear up for the local government elections in 2024, it is my earnest expectation that you will hit the ground running.

“It is important that you immediately begin the process of interfacing with all registered political parties in the State and ensure free flow of information from the Commission to them and other relevant stakeholders.

“The rules and procedures for electioneering campaigns must be clearly spelt out and in a timely fashion.

“In order to have free, fair, transparent, and credible elections, electoral officers, especially ad-hoc staff, must be adequately trained.

“This has been a major undoing with elections in Nigeria, and I trust that you will avoid the ugly scenario of electoral officers who are clueless about their job by ensuring that they are grounded in sound democratic election processes.

“Similarly, I expect you to guide against the recurring problems of late arrivals of electoral materials and personnel to the polling units. This will ensure a seamless voting process and elicit voter confidence”.

For the Chairman and Members of the Delta State Local Government Service Commission, Governor Oborevwori said they have the important role of supervising the management of the affairs of the local government councils, especially as it relates to the recruitment, promotion, discipline, and career development of staff of the councils.

He said members of the Commission are persons of integrity who will discharge their mandate without bias, prejudice, and favouritism. I am confident that the new Chairman and Members of the Commission meet the above criteria.

“As the third tier of government, local government councils are very critical in the governance process because they are the arm of government closest to the grassroots.

“Hence, for the policies and programmes of any government to have the desired impact, the local government councils must be alive to their constitutional responsibilities.

“To achieve our objective of inclusive governance and enhanced service delivery at the grassroots level, I charge the new members to provide strong and effective leadership that will strengthen local government administration for the purpose of meeting the needs and aspirations of our people.

“Furthermore, your decisions must be fair, just, and transparent in order to deliver a highly professional and motivated workforce. In all your policies and actions, you should strive to boost professionalism, develop leadership skills in the workforce, and deepen the organizational capacity of the councils,” he said.

He urged the Chairman and Director-General of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission to exhibit the virtues of probity, transparency and accountability in their quest for Universal Health Coverage for Deltans.

Responding on behalf of the appointees, Dr Austin Obidi thanked Governor Oborevwori for finding them fit to serve and pledged to uphold the principles of probity, transparency and accountability in the discharge of their duties.

He said no efforts will be spared in their quest to contribute in advancing the M.O.R.E Agenda of the administration.

The State Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme, Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Arthur Akpowowo, State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Kingsley Esiso, Professor Sam Oyovbaire, Air Vice Marshall Frank Ajobena and Chief Mrs Nkem Okwuofu were among dignitaries that attended the ceremony.

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RMRDC: Making Giant Strides Under Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso

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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.

“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.

“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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