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ENUGU PALLIATIVE HOAX AND THE UGLY ROLE OF POLITICAL ENEMIES

Published

6 years ago

November 11, 2020

By Jeff Ejiofor

It was former Nigerian president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan that said people can go out of their way in a most vicious manner just to acquire political power. Nothing can better describe the palliative scandal in Enugu State during the EndSARS violence than the above assertion where enemies of the people cooked up lies and deceived the unsuspecting public into believing a non existing hoax.

It is quite unfortunate that people, out of sheer mischief and selfish political interest can go this far in manipulating the psyche of others to the extent of endangering their lives. The whole story about hoarding of palliatives in Enugu was a huge joke taken too far, and the most regrettable aspect was the loss of lives the process.

Basically, one would not have bothered to dwell on this topic again but for the wrong impression left in the minds of some people concerning the veracity or otherwise of the issue in contention. It is implicit that the controversy surrounding the distribution of palliatives in some other states was what fuelled the spontaneous search that ensued across the country at that time and not necessarily from any well established authentic information.

As a matter of fact, it was like a bandwagon then across the country as the youths went about searching for hoarded palliatives which were meant for the poor and vulnerable at the peak of covid 19. Yes, some states actually shotchanged the masses and hoarded palliatives meant for them.

However, a few of the states including Enugu shared their own transparently. In short, Enugu State was very prompt in distributing its palliatives among the 17 local government areas of the state in August this year as confirmed by Mrs Ada Nweke, the principal of Queens School, Enugu, where they were kept.

Again, it will interest us to know that the hall where the palliatives were purportedly kept in Queens was the same place NECO exam is currently taking place. So, where lies the rationale behind the allegation that Covid 19 palliatives were still being kept there?

Is it not obvious that apart from the proactive nature of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi when it comes to the welfare of Enugu citizens, the involvement of the same school in NECO exams was a key factor that should have doused tension and made people know there was nothing there? Definitely, the hall was made available to the students for the exams with their lockers fully arranged as shown in the video circulated online. Both students and the principal of the school in separate interviews, made categorical statements about non availability of palliatives in their school at that point in time.

The principal, Mrs Ada Nweke, in a bid to clarify issues, conducted news men round the school premises and called on security agencies to come to the rescue of the students and forestall a possible repeat of the Chibok experience. She even showed the hall where the palliatives were kept in August to the whole world via social media, but the manipulated gullible ones refused to believe it and insisted on invading the school.

However, in futherance of its obligation to protect lives and property of citizens, the government pleaded with the youths of Enugu to disregard any rumour claiming that palliatives were hoarded and go about their lawful businesses.

It was widely publicized in both conventional and social media with a stern warning attached to it that government would not fold its hands and watch people take laws into their hands, insisting that it would employ whatever means available to protect the innocent school girls living in the dormitory of Queens School, Enugu.

Unfortunately, those bent on causing disaffection in Enugu continued deceiving the youths and urging them to defy government’s advice and warning. A good number of the youths fell for this cheap antics and surged towards the Queens School gate on that fateful day in defiance of the warning and security presence in an attempt to force themselves into the school before they were confronted by the security probably in self defence. We were all aware that the security operatives had lost some of their personnel in the wake of the violent protest.

It was therefore wise that people should tread with caution when trying to engage them for whatever reason.That was the mistake some youths made which led to unfortunate loss of lives of two people.

It’s quite unfortunate that the same people that instigated crisis and deceived the public about alleged hoarding of non existing palliatives, were the same people that turned around to accuse the government of directing the security to kill innocent youths in search of foods. Please let us be objectively analytical when looking at issues like this.

Assuming the security, out of anger of the loss they had already incured, decided to take their own pound of flesh by killing some of the rampaging youths, does that mean the governor or any other person in government had prodded them? We all know that at times men in uniform use their discretion in acting especially when it involves self defence.

That does not mean anybody has told them to shoot or kill. Has the government done anything wrong in providing security for those innocent school girls who would have probably been mobbed and raped had there not been security in and around the school?

Have we bothered to put ourselves in the shoes of those students’ parents? It is easier to ignore when it does not directly affect us, but the truth remains that no responsible government would have left those students unprotected under the same condition.

The same Ugwuanyi who shielded Enugu citizens at the peak of Covid 19 when some states allowed security operatives to descend on their citizens who disobeyed lockdown order cannot suddenly change and start attacking Ndi Enugu, it’s not possible.

This, also suffices to say that what our governor did was not only humane, but in tandem with his constitutional duty of protecting all law abiding citizens under his subject. Gov. Ugwuanyi discharged his responsibility by ensuring the protection of the innocent Queens School students on that fateful day and anybody concocting lies against him to the contrary is mischeviously dubious.

Finally, let me use this medium to re-echo the position of both the government and the Queens School authority that the Covid 19 palliatives earlier kept in Queens were distributed in August and were no where in the school premises during the search process.

It may also interest the public to know that a prominent youth leader in the state and the member representing Ezeagu State Constituency, Hon. Chima Obieze was at the scene of the event that fateful day to plead with the youths to nominate people among them who would go in and search the school premises with a view to reporting back to them, but they refused.

The youths who had been brainwashed about palliatives refused all entreaties made to save the situation and insisted on entering the school as a mob which was resisted by the security

It is quite unfortunate and highly regrettable that lives were lost but I want to appeal for calm and objective understanding of the situation, while I commend the Enugu State government for initiating a process to look into the matter and pay adequate compensation to the affected families.

I pray for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives while I ask God Almighty to grant their families the fortitude to bear the loss. I therefore passionately appeal to those who manipulate people’s condition to achieve political ends to desist from that because power belongs to God and He alone gives it to anybody He so wishes.

Enugu is in the hands of God.

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Business

Turning Africa’s Raw Materials Into Wealth: The ARMS 2026 Industrial Agenda

Published

3 days ago

September 29, 2026

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

For decades, Africa’s vast natural resources have powered industries and economies far beyond the continent, while many African countries have remained largely exporters of unprocessed commodities and importers of finished products.

That familiar pattern is now coming under renewed scrutiny as policymakers, researchers, investors and industrialists seek to change the direction of Africa’s resource economy.

At the centre of that conversation is the second edition of the Africa Raw Materials Summit (ARMS 2026), scheduled for October 19 and 20 at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, under the theme: “From African Feedstock to African Factories.”

Organised by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), the summit is being positioned as more than another gathering of policymakers and industry stakeholders. It is intended to provide a platform for confronting the structural challenges that have kept African raw materials largely disconnected from local manufacturing.

Africa has for years operated largely within a “pit-to-port” economic model, exporting raw materials while importing expensive finished products.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the summit on Tuesday in Abuja, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martin Ike-Muonso, said the event would bring together policymakers, investors, researchers, technology providers and industrialists to develop practical strategies for transforming Africa’s abundant natural resources into industrial wealth.

The challenge, therefore, is not simply the abundance of resources, but the continent’s ability to transform those resources into industrial value, employment, technology and wealth within Africa.

Nigeria alone, according to the RMRDC, has more than $582.4 billion in documented non-renewable natural resources, while the wider continent possesses substantial deposits of critical minerals, agricultural raw materials and industrial feedstock.

Yet, the benefits of this resource endowment have often been constrained by inadequate processing capacity, weak infrastructure, limited technology, financing gaps and fragmented regional value chains.

From Dialogue to Industrial Action

ARMS 2026 builds on the maiden edition held in May 2025, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates from across the world.

The inaugural summit also witnessed the unveiling of the Ten-Year Raw Materials Transformation Roadmap (2025–2034) by the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owen Enoh.

The roadmap was designed around areas including technological capability, climate-resilient processing and backward integration, establishing a policy framework for greater domestic utilisation of Africa’s raw materials.

The second edition is expected to move the conversation further by bringing policy, capital, technology and industrial stakeholders around practical mechanisms for turning raw materials into locally manufactured products.

One of the major proposals highlighted by the RMRDC is the 30 per cent Mandatory Value Addition Bill, which seeks to establish a statutory minimum level of value addition to Nigerian raw materials before export.

The Council says the proposed framework could support job creation, import substitution, foreign-exchange conservation and increased manufacturing contribution to the economy.

Building the Infrastructure for Value Addition

The industrial transformation envisaged by ARMS 2026 goes beyond legislation.

A major concern is the “missing middle” between where raw materials are produced and where factories are located.

Poor transportation networks, inadequate cold-chain facilities, weak rural roads, limited testing and certification infrastructure and border-related delays can make locally sourced materials more expensive and less competitive.

Consequently, logistics and infrastructure constitute one of the five principal pillars of the summit.

The objective is to develop more reliable corridors connecting farms and mines with processing centres and manufacturing facilities, thereby reducing losses and improving the movement of industrial inputs.

The Digital Dimension

Technology is also becoming an important part of the Council’s strategy.

The RMRDC says it has developed the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP), described as a digital repository containing information on feedstock deposits, specifications, production outputs and industrial absorption rates.

The Council has also highlighted its transition towards paperless operations and its certification as a Data Controller/Processor of Major Importance by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

Such digital infrastructure could provide investors and manufacturers with better information about the availability and characteristics of raw materials while supporting more informed industrial planning.

Turning Waste Into Industrial Inputs

Another major component of ARMS 2026 is the proposed expansion of the circular economy.

The summit will examine how agricultural by-products, mine tailings, scrap metals and biomass can be recovered and reused as inputs for new production processes rather than being treated simply as waste.

The RMRDC argues that such an approach could lower raw-material costs while supporting more sustainable and climate-resilient manufacturing systems.

For Africa, where industrial expansion must increasingly balance economic development with environmental considerations, waste industrialisation could become an important part of the continent’s manufacturing conversation.

From National Production to African Value Chains

The African Continental Free Trade Area is another important element of the summit’s agenda.

The RMRDC sees AfCFTA as an opportunity to create regional value chains in which raw materials sourced in one African country can be processed and supplied to manufacturers in another.

Under such a model, Africa would move beyond simply exporting commodities to external markets and develop stronger internal networks for supplying chemicals, refined minerals, agricultural inputs and other industrial materials across national borders.

This approach places regional integration at the heart of Africa’s industrialisation strategy.

Bridging Research and Capital

A recurring weakness in many developing economies is the gap between research and commercialisation.

Innovations may emerge from universities, research institutions and laboratories without receiving the financing, equipment or market connections required to become commercially viable.

ARMS 2026 intends to address that gap through technology commercialisation and capital linkages, connecting research outputs with investors, development finance institutions and industrial off-takers.

The RMRDC has also cited partnerships with the Bank of Industry for commercial-scale post-harvest processing and a South-South technology-transfer partnership with the National Innovation Centre par Excellence in Shanghai, China.

A Larger Industrial Conversation

The scale of ARMS 2026 is expected to be significantly larger than the maiden edition.

The organisers project more than 1,800 delegates from all 54 African countries and global industrial partners.

The programme will feature high-level policy dialogues, technical panels, an advanced raw materials and technology exhibition, industrial site visits and the African Raw Materials Industry Awards.

The exhibition, in particular, is expected to showcase locally fabricated processing machinery, advanced domestic materials, green chemicals and engineered commercial inputs.

Beyond the speeches and exhibitions, however, the real significance of ARMS 2026 will ultimately depend on what happens after the summit.

Africa’s challenge has never been a shortage of raw materials. The more difficult question has been how to transform those resources into factories, products, skilled employment, technology and sustainable economic opportunities.

For Nigeria and the rest of the continent, the proposed shift from “pit-to-port” to “feedstock-to-factory” therefore represents a broader debate about the future structure of African economies.

ARMS 2026 seeks to place that debate firmly on the industrial agenda — with value addition, technology, finance, infrastructure, circular production and regional trade at the centre.

If the commitments and partnerships generated by the summit translate into measurable industrial activity, the event could provide another platform for Africa to examine how its enormous resource base can support stronger domestic manufacturing.

The message from the organisers is clear: the continent’s raw materials should not only leave African soil as commodities; they should increasingly become the foundation for African industrial production

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