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Kesington Adebutu: The Man On A Mission To Revive Grassroots Football In Nigeria

Published

6 years ago

January 16, 2021

Over the years, grassroots football in Nigeria has suffered untold hardship due to the absence of reliable and competent corporate sponsorship.

Every big company or corporate bodies have their attention fixed on the NPFL or the Super Eagles, obviously because they want instant mileage and recognition.

The Nigeria National League, NNL, and the Nationwide League One, NLO have gone caps in hands begging for sponsors to keep the leagues afloat and kudos must be giving to the likes of Bet9ja owned by the chairman of Remo Stars Football Club, Kunle Soname.

It is on record that they single-handedly sponsored the NNL for two seasons.

Expectations rose to the heavens when the chairman/CEO of Nilayo sports company, Bukola Olopade was appointed Chief Executive officer of the league. Many were confident that based on his track records, the NNL will experience a new lease of life.

That was exactly what happened as Nilayo sports marketing agency set the ball rolling from day one as the sponsors came in, in their numbers. However, the politics of Nigerian football coupled with the behind the scene maneuverings forced the CEO to quit after just a few months in office.

His departure left the league in total shambles. There were not willing sponsors and those already in, left without a formal goodbye.

Then just last year, the chairman of the league board and member of the executive committee of the NFF, Chidi Okenwa died leaving the nation in a rude shock.

His exit meant there was a vacancy to be filled and the NFF in their wisdom went for a willing ally, a man who as chairman of Senate committee of sports for over 6years has failed to stamp his authority or make a mark for all to see or appreciate.

So to many, it was a big surprise to see that the NNL Congress held in his home town of Abakaliki on Friday started with some ray of hope as another betting company was unveiled as title sponsors of the league.

Unfortunately, today’s ceremony was without the usual fanfare befitting for an event of this magnitude.

This is because the organizers were shy of publicity or didn’t want the media to ask probing questions regarding the full details of the deal and what it has for the clubs.

From the outside, many will want to use this opportunity to once again thank the honorable minister of youth and sports, Mr. Sunday Dare who has continuously emphasized the need to develop sports at the grassroots. In his commitment and drive to actualize this dream, he promised to revive Nigeria’s sporting facilities and started off with the Moshood Abiola international stadium in Abuja, the Katsina stadium in Daura, and the National Stadium in Lagos.

Africa’s richest man and renowned businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has promised to finish rehabilitation work at the Moshood Abiola international stadium before the end of the first quarter of 2021 while Sir Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu, a very close friend and ally to Mr. Sunday Dare has rolled out the wheels in Lagos as work is in top gear.

Many are quick to suggest that the Sports minister has helped to increase private and corporate sponsors’ passion and love for Nigeria sports. The Oyo state was born former journalist turn politician is a no-nonsense result driven and passionate man who will stop at nothing but the best.

It will therefore not be a surprise that Dare who at one point rose in support of the women’s league when they went caps in hands begging for support ahead of the season-opening congress has used his connections to once again bail the NNL from obvious collapse.

We only hope that the league organizers will leverage this support and give the sponsors the expected mileage that will give them joy and the zeal to hang on for a long time.

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

Published

1 day 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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