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The Jaded Lips of Enugu Brand of Criticism

Published

6 years ago

September 8, 2020

By Reuben Onyishi (Ugoachataberu)

Criticism is a discipline which dedicates itself to thinking its object. It hived off philosophy and engaged the interest of the ancients like Plato and Aristotle. Plato viewed criticism as an object in the hand of a genius, a legislator, whose prescriptive rules guide the thinking of its object. For Aristotle, criticism seeks to describe its object, that is, a description of what has been done or produced. Whether prescriptive or descriptive, criticism is basically reactionary in that it responds to its object.

As a discipline, criticism is a body of knowledge that has a procedural pattern of the application of thought to a phenomenon. It is a learned pattern that tasks thinking and practice, something on which a reasonable amount of time is spent in its study. This accounts for why Alexander Pope, the great English poet, in consideration of criticism, says, “But you who seek to give and merit Fame, And justly bear a critic’s noble name, be sure of your own reach to know, how far your genius, taste, and learning go. Launch not beyond your depth, but be discreet and mark that point where sense and dullness meet” (Essay on Criticism). By implication, criticism is a task that demands depth in learning and erudition. It does not yield itself to the simple and unlearned. Nonetheless, oftentimes, fools rush in where angels fear to tread. That accounts for why all manner of pretenders makes claims to the title of the critic.

When pretenders take the garb of critics, we see folks who never advance a judgment of their own but catch the spreading notion of the town. They reason and conclude by precedence and own stale nonsense which they never invent. This brand of critics abounds in Enugu State as a coterie of ill-informed, groveling urchins who try to keep up with the Joneses in the excoriation of the administration of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. These are hallelujah boys and cheerleaders who neither know next to nothing nor have a mind of their own. These low- witted lots find their way into social media platforms. They cannot engage with quality discussion of issues but would rather resort to vulgarity and use of uncouth stereotypical terms like ‘idiot’, ‘onye nrashi’, ‘useless people’ and the like. They cannot make simple errorless sentences as they are half-baked. They abound on Facebook platforms and have no known tangible reasons for the positions they take except that they are dregs, derelict mortar, and rotten palm nut.

Enugu State is also replete with other sour grapes of critics who praise in the morning what they blame at night and always think the last opinion right. They blindly lay claims to objectivity but in the real sense of it has no stand on any issue. They lack depth and can easily pander to any opinion that holds sway last.

Another crop of sour lips in Enugu State is constituted and moved by the spirit of irridentistism, clannishness, and nepotism. Recently some of them went to town with a fad couched Nsukkanisation. Even at the fact that Ugwuanyi has shown an exemplary leadership devoid of clannish sentiments as he distributes amenities to the various parts of Enugu State on equitable consideration, such jaded lips cry wolf to serve selfish zonal interests in order to arouse sympathy and perhaps cajole the governor into a weakened position of pandering to their whims and caprices. A case in point is that of one failed journalist who calls himself Jude Orji, whose brand of journalism consists in brown envelope taken from Abuja politicians of the said greater Awgu contraption of this world; a Jude Orji or whatever he is named whose journalism is founded on jumbling distorted facts to favor Awgu sentiments. His was a clear case of brazen lies as he struggled with words incoherently all through his ill-advised internet gibberish of an article. Within this category are also some folks from Nsukka Zone who also are disposed to clannish interests and a sense of entitlement. They point to a former governor who moved all state-owned institutions to his home town. They severely criticise Ugwuanyi for executing projects in other zones order than the Nsukka zone, claiming that the essence of the rotation of the governorship seat among the three zones is for the governor to concentrate development in his zone. These critics, if critics they are, are insatiable and unthankful. They care less about the economic implications of projects in terms of the paucity of funds occasioned by COVID-19. Until Ugwuanyi moves all the state-owned institutions to the Nsukka zone, he has yet to achieve anything. What poor thinking of the very object of their criticism, for how can clannishness and nepotism be a reference point to good governance in the 21st century? Ugwuanyi is a turn between his kinsmen crying clannish and the other zones crying Nsukkanisation- a turn between the devil and the deep blue sea occasioned by soured critical taste.

We have yet another brand of Enugu critics who rush to Abuja to hobnob with overambitious legislators of Enugu extraction. They eat filthy lucre from the Abuja table and drink the intoxicating hemlock that drives then crazy. They have no facts but concoct lies and hold on to trivialities against Governor Ugwuanyi to please their paymasters, whose over-ambition has driven to the level of biting the finger that fed them. This is the pot into which such sevile herds like Enuma Asogwa, Celestine Okanya, Ezugwu Okike, and their slavish followers melt.

Quite another is a set of Enugu critics who seek recognition and appointments. They have come to misrepresent Governor Ugwuanyi’s humility and sense of security, peace and inclusive governance in the state, thinking that once they begin to tell lies against the governor, he would call them and settle them. A typical example is Richard Ngene who used to commend the governor for his many good deeds but when no appointment came, he resorted to insults. One David direct Ani also is known to have begun his own brand of criticism, believing he would get an appointment by so doing. Celestine Okanya before he went to Abuja to eat crumbs had exhausted his antics to get an appointment from Ugwuanyi and when it didn’t come turned from a friend to a foe. Related to these are also the brand of critics who had thought to defraud the state government but when their fraud was uncovered and appropriate steps legally are taken, they recruited some pseudonymized fellows to write nonsense against the governor. A good example is the case of Kingsley Eze and his Edwin Ugwuanyi, a pseudonym, recruited to slander and impugn the person of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ugwuanyi.

Criticism in Enugu State has gone sour and the teeth of the critics are set at the edge. Where are the true and learned critics who would reflect on the truth they know? Where are they who careless of censure, no too fond of fame, still pleased to praise, yet not afraid to blame? Where are the objective and constructive critics, the prescriptive and descriptive legislators whose rules guide aright, who to a friend his faults freely show and gladly praise the merit of a foe? Oh! This gift we lack in Enugu State. Enugu State is blessed with the object and lacks in those who properly think it.

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has outclassed his contemporaries in the South East of Nigeria. Besides coming tops in the ranking of the states with the ease of doing business, Enugu State is one of the six states in Nigeria that are financially self-sufficient, without their shares of oil revenue from the federation account. Some of the unlearned comparative critics would always point to Ebonyi State and refer all to the flyovers and beautiful Ebonyi streets glowing and glittering like full moon. Well, let the owl go to a corner of the market to hear the hoot of its underlings. A friend of mine from Ebonyi State recently posted on his Facebook wall that Ebonyi State is a place where light shines in the streets while homes are in darkness; a place where citizens beg along the shining streets and under the beautiful flyovers.

He who did not hear the din of Okpoko did the elephant stamp on his eardrums? Does anyone need be told what development Ugwuanyi has caused to erupt all over Enugu State in the area of road construction, provision of basic infrastructure, health facilities, regular payment of civil servants, job creation, creative mobilization of funds, and prudent management of both human and material resources? If you eat it not, you match it on your feet. All these are high impact factor projects and achievements worthy of critical thinking and articulation. The genuine thinkers are few; unthinking folks abound and have desecrated the aristocratic palace of true criticism. Alas! Enugu State is left with sour grapes in the jaded mouths of virulently vindictive critics

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

Published

13 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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