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ENUGU CITIZENS LAUD GOVERNOR UGWUANYI FOR STABILIZING TRAFFIC ACTIVITIES IN THE STATE

Published

6 years ago

September 9, 2020

Enugu people have lauded the state government for bringing sanity in the state traffic activities. A cross-section of residents interviewed testified that the government has made frantic efforts to halt the hitherto incessant harassments of motorists in the state by some agents of the government. A resident of the state and a public affairs analyst, Mr. Jeff Ejiofor revealed that prior to the inception of the current administration in 2015, the chaotic traffic situation in the state was worrisome and of major concern to motorists in Enugu state.

He said that some flashpoints such as Holy Ghost roundabout/Old Park, Okpara Avenue, Otigba Junction, NOAS Junction, Abakpa Liberty, Ogui Junction, and some other busy areas of the city were like a hell to motorists who at times spent hours in the traffic build-up. Mr. Ejiofor averred that Holy Ghost and Old Park areas were the most affected as motorists dreaded and avoided them like a plague. He pointed out that even with a good road network in the city, the traffic crisis occasioned by this problem was a nightmare and it negatively affected the socio-economic life of the city.

He further stated that the unfortunate situation prompted an unconventional response by both the state and some urban local governments who, through the Ministry of Transport and Capital Territory Development Authority, recruited local tugs to enforce traffic rules. According to him, the touts as expected, and who were mandated to earn their income from what they get from the field turned a nightmare to motorists and consequently made life most difficult for road users and ordinary citizens of the state.

He apparently said that various state and local government agencies turned the problem into a cash cow for both the tugs and their paymasters through illegal harassment and extortion of motorists. He alleged that the boys introduced a system of setting traffic traps for people with the sole aim of extorting money from them, accusing Enugu East local government as the worst and most notorious of them. He revealed that throughout that period of terror, the Abakpa axis became heavily dreaded and avoided by law-abiding citizens. He concluded by saying that people who disparage the current administration for any reason have a short memory. Recounting the ordeal of residents especially motorists before the coming of Gburugburu, he said it was an era of terror that nobody will forget in a hurry. He thanked the governor for the traffic sanity which the people enjoy today as a result of his responsive ingenuity and appealed for support to enable him to take Enugu state to the next level.

Another concerned resident and a top civil servant, Dr. Godwin Chukwu while describing the situation in Enugu at that time, said it was akin to a police state where road users became so scared of going out for fear of being molested by the touts under the umbrella of MOT/CTDA. He declared that the fear of the tugs became the beginning of wisdom in Enugu, with residents and visitors living in palpable fear as a result of the unknown. Dr. Chukwu bemoaned the activities of these ill-informed miscreants who he said were backed by the local authorities to constantly instill fear on the citizens. He narrated the helpless ordeal of the conventional traffic police who according to him usually watched motorists bullied and manhandled for no just cause.

The Gleamer News learned that all efforts made by the masses through complaints and calls on the then government for help fell on deaf ears. Even on radio programmes, people called and complained bitterly about the evil activities of these criminals, yet nothing was done.

According to respondents, these illegal urchins continued terrorizing road users unabated till 2015, when an astute administrator, Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi came to power. As a caring leader who loves the masses, Ugwuanyi listened to the cries of the people and immediately suspended the activities of these terror groups. On that fateful evening, the announcement was made, jubilation erupted in the streets of Enugu, heralding a new era of freedom in the State, recounted an eye witness.

After the historic suspension of the illegal groups, he, the governor, quickly recruited over 1000 able-bodied young people and gave them 3 months of professional training in the art of traffic control. He subsequently kitted and equipped them properly with a mandate to, in conjunction with the conventional traffic police; restore traffic sanity in Enugu State.

This singular action of the governor according to residents, explains his unmatched intellectual capacity in the area of governance. He was said to have solved a problem as old as modern Enugu in less than one year of assumption of office. The respondents who looked relieved told The Gleamer News that traffic sanity has completely returned in Enugu and nobody is being harassed or molested again by tugs in the name of traffic control.

From our findings, the people are happy with Gov. Ugwuanyi who they say, has not only by this action secured Enugu roads by ensuring traffic sanity and freedom of motorists, but has also provided employment for teeming Enugu youths desirous of making their own contributions to the development of the State. According to them, he has done in one year what his predecessors could not attempt in 16 years of their leadership in the state. Gburugburu they said is indeed an icon and should be commended by all well-meaning citizens of Enugu State. They maintain that through purposeful leadership by the governor, the socio-economic life of the state has come alive again, attracting investors who sequel to the unwarranted molestations of citizens by those miscreants ran away from the state. Undoubtedly, Enugu is currently benefiting from the tranquility occasioned by this policy feat which has expectedly brought sanity in the system and given way for meaningful economic development. The people are really happy as such areas that were dreaded because of seeming intractable traffic crises are now peaceful and relatively free. Holy Ghost and Old Park no longer witness the usual traffic gridlock they were known with as according to road users, this is the first time in the history of modern Enugu one can pass the areas in less than five minutes.

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Strategic Partnerships, Diaspora Investment and Improved Workforce Critical to Industrialization-DG RMRDC

Published

21 hours ago

November 12, 2026

The Gleamer

By: Stella Azi and Adaora Adibe

The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, has called for a strategic shift from the exportation of raw commodities to domestic processing, manufacturing and value addition, declaring that Nigeria possesses enormous untapped raw material resources capable of driving industrialisation, creating jobs and strengthening the country’s economic competitiveness.

Prof. Ike-Muonso made this submission in a lecture titled Unlocking Nigeria’s Raw Material Value Chain for Industrialization, Manufacturing and Competitiveness, where he presented an extensive assessment of Nigeria’s resource endowments, industrial challenges and emerging investment opportunities across agricultural commodities, solid minerals and waste-based raw materials.

The lecture highlighted a combined US$2.65 trillion global market opportunity across 30 major raw material value chains, comprising 12 agricultural value chains valued at US$932 billion, 11 mineral value chains worth US$1.352 trillion and seven circular-economy value chains estimated at US$366 billion.

According to the RMRDC Boss, Nigeria must move beyond the traditional approach of extracting and exporting raw materials to building competitive domestic industries that transform these resources into intermediate products, industrial inputs and finished goods for local consumption and international markets.

He observed that the country’s manufacturing sector has struggled to sustain its 2014 peak, with its contribution to real Gross Domestic Product declining from 9.64 per cent in 2014 to 8.05 per cent in 2025, representing a 16.5 per cent decline. He also drew attention to the increasing cost of raw material imports, which rose to US$20.5 billion in 2025, approximately six times the 2020 level.

He explained that the growing dependence on imported industrial inputs exposes Nigerian manufacturers to foreign exchange volatility, increases production costs and weakens the competitiveness of locally manufactured products.

Prof. ke-Muonso stressed that the solution lies in developing domestic raw material value chains through deliberate investment in processing facilities, research and development, technology, infrastructure and stronger linkages between producers, processors and manufacturers.

He identified agriculture, solid minerals and industrial waste as three major resource platforms for Nigeria’s industrial transformation, stating the country’s significant production capacity and the enormous opportunities available for downstream processing.

Ike-Muonso noted that Nigeria produces over 63 million metric tonnes of cassava annually, making it the world’s largest producer, while also maintaining strong positions in cocoa, cashew, sesame, palm oil and cotton. However, more than 80 per cent of agricultural output leaves farms without adequate processing, resulting in the loss of significant economic value and industrial opportunities.

In the solid minerals sector, he identified more than 44 commercially viable minerals across over 500 locations, including lithium, gold, barite, bitumen, iron ore and high-grade limestone, describing them as strategic resources capable of supporting steel production, energy storage, electrification and advanced manufacturing.

The DG further drew attention to Nigeria’s industrial and agro-waste resources, noting that the country generates over 32 million tonnes of solid waste annually. He explained that agricultural residues, cassava peels, scrap metals, plastics and electronic waste could serve as important feedstock for bio-fertilisers, industrial chemicals, recycled polymers, energy production and other manufacturing applications.

In the agricultural sector, the DG identified cassava and industrial starch, cotton and natural textiles, natural rubber and elastomers, oil palm and oleochemicals, maize derivatives and cocoa processing as priority areas requiring increased investment.

He explained that processing agricultural commodities into industrial starch, sweeteners, textiles, technical rubber, specialty fats and other intermediate products would enable Nigeria to capture more value from its agricultural resources while reducing dependence on imported industrial inputs.

For the minerals sector, he highlighted crude oil-to-olefins and petrochemicals, lithium and energy storage, iron ore and steel, rare earth elements, bauxite and aluminium, and copper and electrification as strategic investment opportunities.

He particularly emphasised the importance of moving beyond mineral extraction into beneficiation, refining, battery precursors, industrial chemicals, metal fabrication and advanced materials production.

On the circular economy, Prof. Ike-Muonso identified electronic waste recovery, scrap metal recycling, plastic waste processing, agro-waste valorisation and battery recycling as emerging industrial opportunities.

He explained that transforming waste into productive industrial feedstock would not only reduce environmental pollution but also create new manufacturing industries, generate employment and reduce the importation of valuable industrial materials.

He noted that to address the structural challenges confronting raw material-based industrialisation, the DG highlighted the strategic interventions of the RMRDC, particularly the proposed 30% Value Addition Bill and the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP).

He described the 30% Value Addition Bill as an important policy instrument designed to encourage domestic processing of raw materials before export, strengthen local manufacturing capacity and guarantee access to essential raw materials for Nigerian industries, and NISSRAMP as a critical data infrastructure that would improve access to verified information on the availability, location and quality of raw materials.

According to him, the combination of appropriate policy instruments and reliable resource data would help de-risk investments, improve transparency and strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration among government, academia and industry in developing bankable projects, sharing investment risks and accelerating the establishment of processing and manufacturing facilities.

Professor Ike-Muonso called on Nigerians in the diaspora and other local and international investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He identified industrial processing parks, mineral beneficiation and refining, agro-industrial platforms, circular-material processing, industrial input manufacturing and enabling infrastructure as viable investment platforms.

He noted that diaspora investors could contribute beyond financial capital by bringing technology, international business networks, governance standards, technical expertise and access to global markets.

He maintained that Nigeria’s industrial transformation requires coordinated investment across the entire value chain, from raw material sourcing and aggregation to processing, manufacturing, certification and export development.

Professor Ike-Muonso stressed that the country’s industrial future would depend not merely on the volume of raw materials extracted but on the capacity to transform them into competitive products that meet domestic and international market requirements.

He maintained that developing local value chains would stimulate industrial growth, create employment opportunities, diversify exports, conserve foreign exchange and deepen Nigeria’s technological capabilities.

Through its strategic interventions, the RMRDC is positioning itself as a critical bridge between resource availability, investment opportunities and industrial competitiveness, with the ultimate objective of transforming Nigeria from a predominantly raw material exporting economy into a strong manufacturing and value-adding nation.

Ike-Muonso has demonstrated this since assumption of office as the Director General/ CEO RMRDC in the area of capacity building, improved working conditions, promotion of merit, and maintaining a conducive environment that rewards excellence, innovation and dedication. This is evident in his institution of RMRDC training school, reward for winners of the RMRDC innovation challenge among others.

His commitment has brought recognition both nationally and internationally: Al-Jazirah double honour awards as Public Servant /Government Agency of the year 2024-2025 and the recent election as the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Representative on the Board of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations (WAITRO) is a attestation to his commitment.

Concluding the lecture, the DG charged staff, researchers, manufacturers and investors to see themselves as nation builders in the new era of raw materials-led industrialization.

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