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Olawande Kickstarts youth engagement, harps on skill development

Published

8 months ago

January 21, 2024

Joel Ajayi

The Honourable Minister of State for Youth Development, Mr. Ayodele Olawande has emphasized the need for Nigerian youths to prioritize skill acquisition, especially in areas that are relevant to the demands of the 21st century labour market.

The Minister, who made the call during a youth engagement visit to Borno State, said the youths can only contribute to the development of the country when they possess skills that enhance their productivity as citizens.

Olawande who also paid a courtesy visit on the state governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum on his arrival, disclosed that he was in the state to interact with youths on the plans of the Ministry so as to solicit their inputs.

During the interaction that lasted for over three hours, with youths, drawn from diverse youth and student organizations in the state, including young entrepreneurs, farmers, and those from the informal sectors, the Minister said, “I believe that we can not sit back in Abuja and assume that we know what you want. Yes, we have our own plans and programs, but we also want to listen to your demands based on your peculiar experiences and local realities. This would help us to target our interventions to address specific challenges you may have.”
In response to the plans presented by the Minister, the youths offered suggestions on the implementation modalities as well as new ideas for consideration.

Prior to his arrival at the youth engagement session, the Minister had earlier visited one of the Internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the state to solidarize with inhabitants where he donated about one thousand, five hundred school bags, lunch packs and some other items to youths in the camp on behalf of the federal government.

He also paid a ‘thank you’ visit to the young soldiers in the headquarters of Operation Hadin Kai, where he extended the appreciation of the government to the soldiers for their sacrifices. He also visited some injured soldiers at the military hospital in Maimalari barracks, headquarters of 7 Division of Nigerian Army, where he prayed for the recuperating soldiers.

The Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, Major General G.U Chibuisi appreciated the Minister for identifying with them at the command, saying the Minister’s visit would boost the morale of the troop. He disclosed that the security situation is improving every day in Maiduguri as a result of the ongoing operation to counter terrorism in the state.

The Minister was also at the National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC) orientation camp in Maiduguri where he encouraged Corp Members to think positively and follow what is right rather than following what is trending so that at the end of their service they will be productive to themselves and the country at large.

He further admonished them against crime and violence while encouraging them to engage themselves in innovative skills and ideas that will enable them to contribute meaningfully to society.

He promised that the condition of NYSC orientation camps would be improved.
Earlier in his address, the chapter chairman Borno state National Youth Council of Nigeria, comrade kaka Lawan Bundi eulogised the minister for coming and called on the Ministry of youth to support the youth to access funds in the form of loans to boost their businesses. “This will be useful for ensuring sustainable businesses” He said.

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

Published

7 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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