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SYSTEMATIC TRANSFORMATION OF ENUGU INTO A PEACEFUL CITY BY GOVERNOR IFEANYI UGWUANYI

Published

6 years ago

September 19, 2020

By Ifeanyi Ogenyi Esq.

Peace has always been among humanity’s highest values because the most “disadvantageous” peace is better than the most “just” crisis or violence.

Peace is a product of a positive mental attitude. It is the desire of every beating heart, the hope of every nation, and the promise of every politician.

Crisis, conflicts, and violence shatter lives and stunt development; and their effects are far-reaching as they pass to generation. Those who have ever witnessed political intimidation, harassment, restlessness, crisis, and violence in the State in time past can tell you the gory story. Living in fear, tumult, and hostile environment is neither attractive nor palatable.

It is therefore pertinent to take stock of the gains recorded under this administration and not the pains of the yesteryears. We have to put our eyes and minds on the glorious and brighter paths of peace we tread upon today in Enugu.

It is a notable fact that Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi assumed office at a time when peace was practically eluding the State. He emerged at a time when hatred, violence, politics of bitterness, and crisis have gained notoriety in Enugu and hope was fading. The city was facing overwhelming restlessness.

The meek mien and unassuming dispositions of His Excellency Rt.Hon.Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi left no one in doubt as to his capacity and ability to enthrone peace in all ramifications in the State.

Expectedly, Gov.Ugwuanyi within five years in the office has made Enugu the peace-hub of the South and center of attraction; and the most peaceful State in Nigeria. He has worked his promise to assiduously enthrone peace and security in the State.

When peaceful conditions prevail in a society, all activities take place in their proper form. But if the atmosphere of peace is disturbed, the normal functioning of the State is disrupted.

It is always good for a man who knows the terrain to lead. Gov. Ugwuanyi was conversant with the socio-economic, political cum religious problems confronting the State.

Gov.Ugwuanyi is a rare and divine gift to humanity.

His inclusive governance and pragmatic leadership style premised on simplicity, mutual respect, humility, transparency, and bipartisanship have crystallized into peace and has also made Enugu the most peaceful State in Nigeria. He has legendarily demonstrated that it is possible to transform conflicts into cooperation.

Notably, a critical factor for peace-building and sustenance is the realization of good governance, while promoting justice through transparency, accountability, rule of law, and strengthening the tenets of democracy in the State.

He has the firm understanding that peace is a costly ornament and the most needed agent for human development as it enhances good governance and promotes rapid development because it is only in a peaceful environment that we can make the desired progress.

The Governor has not been seen engaging in any act capable of undermining the relationship between his administration and the past ones. As a leader with a conscience, he has the understanding that the new guard fighting the old guards in the State is despicable.

HE Rt.Hon.Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has laid to rest, the politics of bitterness and other variables that bring disharmony in the State by re-integrating everyone into the system irrespective of political affiliation or difference. He has repositioned the State on the path of an enduring peace where everyone explores his potential for the overall development of the State.

He has also strived to creatively and resiliently bring about a balance of power and the associated agreement which in turn have engendered definite equilibrium among the divergent interests and groups in the State; and the agreement is a simultaneous solution to the different equations of power where there is harmony based on expectations.

The enduring peace in Enugu for me, is the most important of all, the most remarkable of all the achievements of Gov. Ugwuanyi in Enugu State.

Why is so much emphasis on peace and why is it an achievement? Without it, the destructive tendencies of man will continue to inch us closer to destruction and catastrophe. It is really something to rejoice and pride about and be more knitted together than violence.

Gov. Ugwuanyi has re-defined leadership through his peace-making initiative and governance has been given a better direction by demonstrating that the State can function effectively without armies and thugs, that love is better than hatred and peace is better than violence.

He has ensured peace in the State and calmness has returned to the Coal City. He laid to rest thuggery and youth restiveness in the State’s political landscape by accommodating all divergent interests and also by engaging our teeming youths into lawful and meaningful activities thereby seamlessly given them re-orientation for their lives.

Gov. Ugwuanyi has created a new Enugu of “Non-violent City” where peace and love lead. One can today beat his chest and assert that peace has come to stay in Enugu without fear or favor.

It is therefore irrational and parochial for some persons attempting to disrupt the existing peace by trying to truncate the long-standing zoning arrangement in Enugu among the three Senatorial Zones.

Zoning arrangement has not only brought political stability and peace to the State but also has ensured that justice, fairness, and equity prevail at all times in the State. Zoning has come to stay in Enugu just as the peace it has engendered has also come to stay “gidi gabam”.

Undisputedly, Gov. Ugwuanyi is a peace-lover and builder; and a product of zoning arrangement. And as such, with the overwhelming support of Ndi Enugu which he enjoys, he will not be muscled or coerced into the political gimmick of truncating the zoning arrangement in Enugu which is also a veritable instrument for the sustenance of the enduring peace in the State.

Enugu people are confident that Gov.Ugwuanyi will not engage in any act capable of disrupting the enduring peace he has laboured to restore in Enugu now and come 2023.

Let peace continue to reign and prevail in Enugu.

Shalom!

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

Published

16 hours 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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