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We Are Interfacing With PTF For Safe Re-opening Of Orientation Camps-NYSC

Published

6 years ago

October 13, 2020

Joel Ajayi

The Director-General of NYSC Brigadier-General Ibrahim Shuaibu has revealed that the scheme is working tirelessly with the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to ensure the reopening of NYSC Orientation Camps nationwide.

Brigadier-General Shuaibu gave this assurance on Tuesday in Abuja at the 2020 NYSC Freedom of Information Act FOIA Desk officers’ Training workshop.

NYSC Boss who was represented by the Director Human Resources Management Hajiya Habiba Bappah expressed that, lives of the Corps members are paramount to the Scheme.

According to him, let me seize this opportunity to assure the general public that the lives of the Corps members are paramount to the Scheme.

“We are interfacing with the Presidential Task Force (PTF) for the safe reopening of our orientation camps in compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

“I wish to reiterate however that unqualified persons will not be allowed to participate in the programme as adequate measures are already in place to arrest and prosecute individuals that may attempt to do so.

“It is pertinent to inform you that in spearheading the fight against fake graduates especially foreign-trained ones, we had a meeting with foreign Corps producing institutions and adopted measures to curb the trend.

“We also introduced physical and online verification exercises which resulted in the arrest and prosecution of culprits.” He assured.

Speaking on the FOIA for the Scheme’s Desk Officer’s Director-General said that the training is in furtherance of Management’s efforts at enhancing the competence of staff for higher productivity in line with the extant provisions of the FOI Act.

“Since 2011, The NYSC has remained committed to the successful implementation of the FOI Act in compliance with the Government’s directive on the domestication of the Act by all Ministries, Department, and Agencies (MDAs).

“This is in addition to the prompt response to all FOI requests as well as a timely rendition of annual reports to the Federal Ministry of Justice. Management will continue to sustain this practice and ensure that our FOIA Desk Officers are adequately trained and equipped with relevant working materials to facilitate optimum discharge of their responsibilities.

“NYSC has, over the years, operated an effective feedback mechanism which ensures prompt response to all enquires in line with the FOIA.

“All information about the operations of the NYSC and its activities are regularly publicized and updated on the scheme’s websites, social media platforms as well as the traditional media. We have also recently reintroduced the ‘NYSC Half Hour’ magazine programme on NTA and Armed Forces Radio. This has projected the scheme as one of the best performing agencies in the FOIA compliance ranking.”

While commending the commitment and resourcefulness of the Desk Officers as well as the entire workforce of the scheme which significantly contributed to the height we have attained so far; he urged them to re-double their efforts in the discharge of their duties in order to realize the scheme’s target of becoming the leading agency in FOIA compliance.

In her opening remarks, Mrs. Adeyemi congratulates all on the achievements so far recorded in the implementation of FOIA in the Scheme.

According to her, our target is to be the best in the next compliance and transparency ranking.

“The Scheme is among the first government agencies to commence implementation of the Freedom of Information Act with the appointment of Desk Officers who have ensured NYSC’s adherence to the provisions of the law both at the National Directorate Headquarters and the 36 States/FCT Secretariats.

She equally said that the training will equally, provide the requisite platform for them to interact and rub their minds on challenges, they face in the course of discharging their duties.

On his own, one of the Speakers, the International training of the trainers on Anti-Corruption Mr. Abiodun Adebanjo in his topic: Enthroning a culture of openness in the public the sector through proper implementation of the FOIA said: “disclosed that for and desk officers’ to perform optimally they need to imbibe the culture of openness transparently and accountability.

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

Published

20 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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