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FG To Collaborate With NTDC To Fully Harness Creative Industry Potentials

Published

5 years ago

February 25, 2020

Joel Ajayi

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Alhaji Lai Mohammed has assured that the Ministry is very much ready to collaborate with the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) in order to fully harness tourism potentials in the Country.

Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja during a working visit to the head office of Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation NTDC, the Minister said tourism is a fast-growing sector and it needs to be strengthened to harness its full opportunities for growth and development of Nigeria.

He stated that the Creative industry will be the next oil and gas in the nearest future.

According to him, Tourism is not just sight scene, tourism is made up of the entire creative industry and so when talking about tourism we are talking about Music, fashion, film, Monument, Photography and many others.

“When you look at the NTDC act, the mandate is to develop, to promote, to market tourism in Nigeria as well as to bring people to invest.

“This the government believes in the nearest future, the creative industry is going to be the next oil in Nigeria when oil will dry up the creative industry which is our music, our fashion, our films, our heritage sites will remain fresh and attract people into the country.”

Talking about the Ministry’s effort toward the tourism Sector, Alhaji Mohammed expressed: “We have a very serious talk with the DG, we have gone through their challenges, we have also try to proffer solution to all the challenges but what is important is to realize that at NTDC are sitting at the keg of unexplored potentialities, we have the mandate to harness a huge potential of Nigeria to attract people to Nigeria.

“We are Country of colors, country of 250 ethnic groups, we have almost all-round good weather, we have been blessing with film industry which is number two in the entire world, we have been blessing with the music industry that has become global, this why NTDC is important you need to attract tourist to come and see what Nigeria can offer.

“Our the industry is the fastest-growing sector of Nigeria economy today, it employed over 1 million people, but it has the capacity to employ several millions of people

“Our film industry is the least untapped, today we have about 53 cinema houses, and with less than 200 screens with a population of 200million people, we need a thousand cinema houses and at least 6,000 screens.

Our music is growing, last year we made about $51millions dollar, our fashion is growing but the beauty of this creative industry is it employs more people more than any other sector apart from Agriculture and the people that it employ is largely is the younger one.

This is why NTDC needs to work even more with the Ministry so that we can actualize the potentials of this industry.

In his address, the Director-General NTDC, Folorunsho Coker commended the Minister for the visit saying that the visit is apt and would go a long way to boost tourism in the country

He said that “the ‘Tour Nigeria’ project, has driven domestic consumption of tourism assets and products in Nigeria; create new channels of tourism markets as well as generated employment. The brand has restored hope and excitement amongst Nigerians exploring limitless domestic tourism products in the country.

“Also the ‘Nigerian flavour’ initiatives have showcased the diverse gastronomy of Nigeria and promoted Abuja as a destination for fun, hospitality, and relaxation.”

Mr. Coker further stressed that the 5-point action plan initiative called CHIEF is to grow the industry and building a foundation for an attractive destination industry making for domestic and international tourists.

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

Published

12 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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