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FG Offers Automatic Employment, Scholarship To 110 Ex-Corps Members

Published

6 years ago

February 11, 2021

Joel Ajayi

President Muhammadu Buhari has offered automatic employment to 110 Ex-Corps Members in the Federal Civil Service with scholarships for the pursuit of post-graduate studies up to doctoral level in any university in Nigeria.

Speaking on Thursday at the virtual 2018/2019 President’s National Youth Service Corps Honours Award Ceremony held at the State House Conference Centre in, Abuja, President Buhari, also announced cash rewards for the ex- Corps Members.

He directed the relevant government agencies to ensure timely implementation of all the incentives for the award recipients.

Urging the honorees to sustain the patriotic zeal that earned them the award, the President said:

“It is noteworthy that the young men and women being honoured have excelled in the four cardinal programmes of the Scheme, namely: Orientation Course, Primary Assignment, Community Development Service and Winding-up/Passing-out, which formed the basis of assessment for the Honours Award.

“On behalf of the Government and the good people of Nigeria, I heartily congratulate those honoured on standing out from their peers in order to merit the honour being bestowed upon them.

“You have proved yourselves worthy ambassadors of your respective families and the National Youth Service Corps. I am very proud of you and confident that the Award shall spur you to greater service to the Nation and humanity,’’ he said.

The President also used the occasion to commend the founding fathers of the 48-year-old scheme, notably General Yakubu Gowon, who joined the occasion virtually.

President Buhari stressed that NYSC has remained a bastion of national unity and integration by exposing our youth to diverse cultures and traditions, thereby making them appreciate our similarities and diversities.

‘‘Through the Scheme, walls of ethnic stereotypes are pulled down, and bridges of unity built, especially with enduring friendships and relationships resulting from healthy interactions during the service year.

‘‘This has strengthened the mileage covered in our quest to be a nation with one common vision and destiny despite our plurality,’’ he said.

On efforts to sanitize the mobilization process of the Scheme, the President directed NYSC management to ensure that only those who meet the required criteria participate in the one-year national service.

President Buhari praised Nigerian youths on National Service for frontally confronting and remaining at the forefront of the war against COVID-19 pandemic.

The President noted that the inherent innovation and resilience of Nigerian youths, which members of the Service Corps demonstrated through the production of face masks, hand sanitizers, liquid soap, and several fabricated machines, contributed towards curtailing the spread of the pandemic.

‘‘The enormous contributions members of the Service Corps are making to the improvement of our education, health and social sectors as well as rural development remain a shining testament to the Scheme.

‘‘This has portrayed successive generations of Corps members as veritable agents of development,’’ he said.

Commending the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and NYSC for the dogged implementation of the self-reliance programme of government for the youths, the President urged them to sustain the tempo of their activities in this direction.

‘‘It is critical that our youths benefit from the N75b Nigeria Youth Investment Fund.

‘‘They should also be encouraged to key into other youth empowerment programmes of Government such as Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative, Youth Initiative for Sustainable Agriculture in Nigeria, Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme, and Young Farmers Scheme among others,’’ he said.

Declaring that his administration has abiding faith in the Nigerian youth, the finest part of which Corps Members belong, the President said he had demonstrated this belief by signing the “Not too Young to Run” bill into law, so as to accommodate youth in the political landscape.

‘‘I wish to remind our youth, who have the greatest stake in the future of our country, Nigeria, and of course the generality of Nigerians to embrace our initiatives on value reorientation, as this is essential for the achievement of a country we shall all be proud to bequeath to future generations,’’ he said.

President Buhari also urged Nigerian youth to avoid all economic and social vices that are contrary to the wellbeing and progress of the country, admonishing them to adopt a collective approach, premised on sound values to build a great nation.

‘‘As young men and women, I recognize the extreme peer pressure you experience; it is my plea to you to be wary of those who would like to exploit your youth, intelligence and positive energy by channeling you into wrong paths.

‘‘Avoiding such acts honours not just your families who have sacrificed to see you attain greater heights, but also brings pride to your fellow citizens,’’ he said.

A highpoint at the combined Presidential Honours Award was the reading of citations of the best awardees for each service year.

For the 2018 set, Anyaogu Onyeyirichi Rejoice, who emerged first, served in Taraba State.

Anyaogu won the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) Award for the Best Female Corps Member in Community Development.

Dr. Eze Sunday Victor, who served in Jigawa State, came first in the 2019 set while Odion Jessica Eseohen took the 2nd position in NCWS Award for Best Female Corps Member in Community Development.

The Minister for Youth and Sports Development Mr Sunday Dare commended the awardees for upholding the ideals of nationalism.

He said they served as good ambassadors of their families and the NYSC Scheme.

NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim stated that the founding fathers of the Scheme introduced the President’s NYSC Honours Award in 1974 to reward outstanding Corps Members.

He said the award recipients made invaluable contributions to the socio-economic development of the country by building on the performances of their predecessors in key sectors such as; education, health, agriculture and infrastructure.

“Through Community Development Service, Corps Members have over the years, added value to their communities by executing various projects, including construction and renovation of schools and hospitals, repair of roads and provision of portable water among others”.

Ibrahim also said in further demonstration of the commitment of Corps Members to national development, successive batches of Corps Members have participated actively in the implementation of national programmes such as election, immunization, population census among others.

“It would be recalled that while the nation was on lockdown as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, the Scheme remained very visible as we harnessed the talents of Corps Members for various interventions”.

“While the Corps Medical Teams joined other health professionals in the frontline, providing services in various health facilities, other Corps Members made impact through Mass production and donation of face masks, antiseptic liquid soaps and hand sanitizers and equally fabricated and donated automatic and foot-operated water, liquid soap and hand sanitizer dispensers as well as disinfection chambers in several states”, he added.

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

Published

2 days 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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