By Oluwaseyi Otitoju
The President of the Nigerian Metallurgical Society (NMS) Engr. Dr. Fidelis M Achiv has affirmed the society full support on the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), value addition Bill. He made this statement while delivering his welcome address at the 40th Annual General Meeting of the Society held recently in Abuja.
Speaking on the theme of the event: Unlocking Nigeria’s Mineral Resources: Exploration, Extraction and Value Addition, the President stated that Nigeria is endowed with vast mineral resources but still struggling. He noted that over forty-four (44) identified mineral types spread across the country yet experiences key challenges which includes inadequate infrastructure e.g., roads, equipment and power supply, security issues in the North, and a limited metallurgical processing capacity as a nation. This he said has resulted in over 90% of the nation’s mineral raw materials to be exported raw, without any value being added to them.
“In order to stem the tide in the exportation of the nation’s mineral resources in their raw state, the call for the legislation of a bill to make the addition of value to the nation’s raw materials by the RMRDC is in the right direction for the Federal Government to go,” he noted.
Engr. Dr. F.M. Achiv said in his address that the RMRDC had given a clear cut vision of the necessary steps that all agencies and societies such as the NMS which are connected to the development of the nation’s raw materials, the direction they need to pursue their activities with a new zest because the path for deriving the most benefits from the nation’s raw material was now clear cut for them.
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The RMRDC has been the Federal Government parastatal that is spear heading the passage of a bill on not less than 30% value addition to all of the nation’s raw materials. The bill has scaled through assents by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. It is awaiting the President’s signature to become an ACT.
Once it receives the President’s signature a new dawn and vista has been opened for the nation, it’s people and the future of its youth.
