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Minister Seeks Rotary’s Support in Fighting Covid-19

Published

4 years ago

July 17, 2020

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has appealed to Rotary International to help in curtailing the spread of Covid-19 in Nigeria by setting up sample collection centres across the country to increase the number of tests, which is a crucial step in the government’s Trace, Test, Isolate and Treat Strategy.

The Minister made the call in Abuja on Friday when he received the newly-elected Governor of Rotary International’s District 9125, Mrs Jumoke Bamigboye, and her entourage on a courtesy visit.

According to him, I am using this opportunity to appeal to Rotary to leverage on its community engagement strategy to help in mitigating Covid-19’s community spread in Nigeria. Specifically, the Rotary can help in setting up sample collection centres across the country to increase the number of tests,” he said, adding that the Federal Government has increased the number of laboratories for Covid-19 tests from just 2 to 40 in order to test as many Nigerians as possible.

Alhaji Mohammed said the appeal is coming on the heels of Rotary’s great role in the recent eradication of polio in Nigeria.

“Working through Rotary Nigeria’s PolioPlus Committee, this respected organization helped vaccinators to reach the remote areas of the country to ensure that every child received the polio vaccine. The result is what we have today, a polio-free Nigeria.

”I have no doubt that Rotary can play a similar role in our efforts to combat Covid-19 in Nigeria and rid the country of the virus. Please note that I am making this appeal without prejudice to whatever Rotary may have done so far to support the current efforts against Covid-19 in Nigeria,” he said.

The Minister said the Federal Government, through the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, has continued to battle the pandemic, but noted that the government cannot do it alone, hence the need to partner with the private sector and other humanitarian organizations
to flatten the curve of Covid-19.

He congratulated Rotarian Jumoke Bamigboye on her election as the Governor of District 9125, which comprises 23 of the country’s 36 states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, saying it’s a huge
responsibility and a mark of great honour to have been elected to preside over such a vast territory.

In her remarks, Rotarian Bamigboye commended the Minister for driving the public sensitization on Covid-19 safety protocols, saying the people are now gradually imbibing and practising the preventive
measures to remain safe.

She sought the partnership of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to showcase Nigeria’s colourful cultural heritage to Rotary’s visiting foreign dignitaries as well as to utilize the public information organs to sensitize the public on the National Immunization Days for polio and the upsurge in rape cases in Nigeria.

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

Published

6 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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