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Ambassador Talks: Nigerian Ambassador Baba Ahmad Jidda: ‘China is our second home

Published

4 years ago

December 6, 2020

For our special Ambassador Talks series, we speak to Nigeria’s top representative in China. At the beginning of the year, when many diplomats fled China as the outbreak was slamming Wuhan, the ambassador did the opposite — he returned. CGTN’S Wu Guoxiu brings us his story.

The Nigerian Embassy lies in Beijing’s Sanlitun, an area in Chaoyang district popular among expats with a large number of embassies. Ambassador Baba Ahmad Jidda’s office is on the second floor.

If you ask him to show you one of the fancy things he keeps, he’ll probably show you something his wife bought for him, such as this special Chinese plant.

BABA AHMAD JIDDA Nigerian Ambassador to China “My wife brought it to my office. She said this one brings you a lot of fortune, a lot of money. Chinese Bank of China money will come to this, the Exit and Import Bank money will come, so I send it to Nigeria for infrastructure development.”

Jidda took up his current post in September 2017. At the beginning of the year, he went back to Nigeria for the Christmas holiday. But when Wuhan was struck by COVID-19, he decided to rush back to Beijing.

BABA AHMAD JIDDA Nigerian Ambassador to China “China is our second home. So I discussed with my wife and said we cannot be away from China during the trying time of China. And in any case, there were so many Nigerians in China, especially students. So there is a need for me to go back, as a captain of the ship to ensure we sink or swim with China. So I returned to Beijing with my wife. And everybody was surprised to see us, because the airport was empty, very few people. Few immigration officers were even there. It was like there was nobody. We have 75 Nigerians in Wuhan, 65 of them were students. 10 are other Nigerians. I told them please stay put. I assure you that things will be good. So we sent them support, and the government did more than we did to support the students and other Nigerians.

I made a press conference, a press release, urging all Nigerians to stay in China, assuring them that sooner or later China will do something about the COVID-19. Finally, I’ve been vindicated that China contained the virus. In the whole world today, China is the safest. Therefore I feel very proud that I have taken that bold decision to come back to China when everybody was running out of China.”

WU GUOXIU Beijing “Can you share any personal stories or moments about how our two countries fought the pandemic together?”

BABA AHMAD JIDDA Nigerian Ambassador to China “In the case of Nigeria, we have the CCECC this big construction company undertaking railways and airports, were very helpful. And loads of medical equipment and medical personnel, you know, were sent to Nigeria, and they have done great job. They trained my people, making sure some of the equipments that we lack were provided, and we have since been cooperating in that area, and we’ll not stop appreciating China for the support that was mostly needed at the time it was given.”

WU GUOXIU Beijing “With the coronavirus situation now under control in China, what are the major focuses of bilateral cooperation?”

BABA AHMAD JIDDA Nigerian Ambassador to China “China believes in multilateralism. China does not operate alone. China must ensure that other countries in the world also get healthy. Maybe that’s the reason his Excellency President Xi Jinping contributed some of 2 billion US dollars during the last World Health Assembly.

Maybe that’s why China is everyday supporting the World Health Organization, because it’s very important for other countries to be healthy, for us to conduct bilateral relations, especially African countries. We can’t not wait to receive vaccine from China, we cannot wait to see China sending millions of vaccines to Africa, so that the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative you know, to have healthy countries, to have health bilateral and multilateral relationship with China.”

WU GUOXIU Beijing “There have been words saying China’s been setting a debt trap for Africa, how do you respond to this? ”

BABA AHMAD JIDDA Nigerian Ambassador to China “If you are naive type of leader, you’ll be frightened of what the western press says about China’s loans to Africa. But our leaders are responsible leaders, our leaders are intellectuals, they are educated, they know what’s good for their people.”

Jidda says he’s been to almost every province in China. He praises China’s development blueprint, saying that the “five-year plan” is an important tool for the country’s progress.

BABA AHMAD JIDDA Nigerian Ambassador to China “The 14th development plan of China is like a global plan. It encompasses almost everything the world is going through, because China has reached a point where whatever it does, affects the rest of the world. The plan has its ramifications to friendly countries, like African countries, they mentioned the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation, mentioned the Belt and Road Initiative, and these are areas that touches on several other countries of the world.”

Ambassador Jidda says he’s staying in China for his second three-year term, as he aims to deepen the already friendly ties between his host, and home, countries. Wu Guoxiu, CGTN, Beijing.

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

Published

15 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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