By Hillary Asemota
The Minister of State for Science Technology and Innovation, Chief Henry Ikoh, on Monday said President Muhammadu Buhari, has succeeded in laying solid foundation for Nigeria’s industrialization and productivity in every sector through the activities of the Raw materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC).
The Council is agency under the purview and supervision of the Ministry.
Fielding questions from Journalists after an on the spot tour accompanied by the Council’s Director General (DG), Prof. Hussaini Doko Ibrahim at the Council’s Technology/Fabrication complex along Airport Road in Abuja and at the African University of Science and Science and Technology (AUST), Galadimawa in Abuja, the Minister, called on manufacturers, investors and industrialists to buy into the more than 35 Research and Development (R/D) products rather than going outside the shores of the country to source for their raw materials.
While commending the DG and staff of the Council for their tenacity and drive in the various research outcomes from the technology complex, he said: “Nigerians must now begin to buy into these products for commercialization, because they are cheaper and easy to source than to use Foreign Exchange in buying the raw materials.”
According to him, sourcing for raw materials abroad exerts pressure and stress on the Naira, adding, that from this visit today, you the media have seen for yourselves that investors, manufacturers and our industrialists must leverage on what we have in our country and what we can grow in Nigeria, rather than relying on imported goods into the country.
The Minister, said: “I’m inspired and very happy with the synergy that is being demonstrated in RMRDC through the leadership quality of Prof. Ibrahim Hussaini Doko.
“Even though this administration is leaving soon, government is a continuous process, when the next government comes, it cannot be forgotten that President Buhari, has laid a solid foundation for Nigeria’s full industrialization and productivity through the RMRDC and other agencies in the Ministry.”
On institutionalization of R/D products into the nation’s developmental agenda, Ikoh, added that it is the right and practical way to go to keep the country on industrialization trajectory, explaining that no nation can develop without R/D.
He said: “This is the practical thing that we have seen today that with R/D which we have seen and the various machines and equipment that we have seen.
“There are plans to replicate the RMRDC mantra in the 6 geopolitical zones, Nigeria will certainly become Africa’s industrial power house and destination for the products that are currently being imported into the country.
“Our youths will be gainfully employed because we have all the raw materials and from what we have seen here today 100% of the products are locally produced and sourced through R/D technologies ingenuity.”
According to him, there is every hope that Nigeria is on the path to greatness through the Council’s industrialization drive.
He said: “I want to use this opportunity to thank President Buhari who is industry friendly that with this move and with RMRDC the DG and all the staff we can transform Nigeria and make it Africa’s destination for goods and services that were hitherto imported.”
On the buy in of the private sector, he said: “The Ministry has started publicity drive on what the Council is doing here.
“We have just discovered that it is cheaper and better to do it here, the Nigeria way using our local raw materials leveraging on the Executive Order No 5.
“As matter of fact, we must produce what we need here and the only thing that we need to create is the awareness and advocacy and I have told the DG that starting from now Nigerians should be able to see for themselves what the agency is doing.”
According to him, the dawn of Nigeria exporting it goods and services abroad has come, stressing, Nigerian manufacturers before now go to China, India and other countries to import both raw materials and finished products.