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Nigerian Navy will continue to support NOSDRA – Navy Chief

Published

5 years ago

May 22, 2019

The Nigerian Navy has said that it will continue to support the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to curb the menace of oil spills in the country.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas said this when the D-G of NOSDRA and some of his Directors paid him a courtesy visit on Wednesday in Abuja.

Acvording to him, we have been addressing the consequences of oil spill that we all know that are deliberately caused by criminals and saboteurs.

“There is hardly a day that passes without the Navy shutting down illegal refineries as well as vandalised pipes and abandoned oil well.

“Because if these criminals do not have the means of getting the oil it will slow down their effort at attempting to steal and refine the products’’.

Ibas congratulates the agency for the wonderful job they have been doing.

“ The efforts you have carried out is noble, I want to assure you that when you need us, rest assured that we will provide the needed support.

“The Navy have been partnering with your agency and we have concerned in the devastation of oil spills in the country.

“The statistics and the records we have show that something serious need to be done therefore we must come together to address the menace being done in the environment.

the Navy Chief, however solicited for the support of all stakeholder in keeping the environment safe and secured.

“It’s a campaign that we are going to solicit the support of all stakeholders to be able to address the menace,’’ he said.

Earlier, the D-G of NOSDRA, Mr Idris Musa said that the agency has been embarking on consultations to sensitise the people of the communities on the dangers and implications of oil spills.

“We want to let the community people to understand what dangers there are in the case of oil spill: when oil spills, it goes into the rivers that they drink or use for domestic purposes.

“It also goes to farmland, to the creeks and to the fish, all of these places are places are endangered and we need them all the time to sustain our daily livelihood.

“It destroys the environment, endangers your life as a person and cause some social and economic dislocation to the community where you come from and Nigeria at large’’.

He said that the agency will continue to consult and give details on the issues of disaster that is awaiting if communities do not stop or point fingers at people who engage in the criminal activities.

“We are going to be discussing with the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria, Major Oil Marketers of Nigeria, and the Depot Marketers Association of Nigeria.

“We want to let them our next line of action so that when we get to them it won’t be strange to them.

“We will sensitise them and get them to understand what role they should play to avoid polluting ground wate: because ground water remediation is very costly, more difficult and takes more time, so we need to begin to sensitise them in these areas too’’.

The D-G, however solicited the support of the Navy, saying, we have been having a lot of challenges especially on our water ways, the creeks and creek lets in the Niger-Delta.

“We do not want to be having oil spills all the time because our vision is to have a Zero tolerance to oil spill.

“It’s unfortunate that in spite of the efforts, we still see some of these criminals finding their ways into our water ways to puncture our pipe lines.

“The recent case is in April where the 24inch and the 28inch Trans-Niger pipelines were cut by some miscreants and another one in Ondo state, the fire is still burning now as we speak’’.

He therefore asked for more support from the Navy to have a very safe and conducive environment.

“ Noting the way we now operate and most of our oil companies are moving off shore and land shore, we now see that the task of maintain a very secure marine environment cannot be over emphasized.

“So we want to make sure that the custodians of the National Oil Spill Contingency plan are in touch with all our major stakeholders. (NAN)

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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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