By Charles Maduka
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has declared that the passage of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council Amendment Bill will position Nigeria as a key exporter of raw materials across Africa.
He made this known in Abuja on Thursday during a courtesy visit by members of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, led by Director-General Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso.
Akpabio noted, “If any of the values were to be added in Nigeria before exporting, we would have had at least a factory for those chains that would also create jobs for our people, beyond what the farmers are doing. Technological shifts would have also come in terms of innovations.”
In a statement from his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, Akpabio lamented Nigeria’s status as a top cocoa producer while still importing cocoa products at high costs with little to no local processing. He urged for a shift in this narrative.
He praised the Nigerian Senate and Senator Onyekachi Nweboyin, who sponsored the bill, and raised concerns about the state of the solid minerals sector, describing it as “pathetic” due to the lack of value-added processing before exports.
“We sell it at a very cheap rate, and when you sum it up, you will see that development in Africa by 2025 is still in a primitive state when it comes to recognising and utilising the potential within its domain.
“Poverty is biting harder because of ignorance,” Akpabio added.
He urged the council to focus on training, retraining, and educating Nigerians, including secondary school students, on identifying raw materials and solid minerals.
“We must not allow this to continue. If we now assist you by passing the bill and the President signs it into law, Nigeria would have taken the step to ensure that whatever raw material is to be taken out of this country must be given added value of at least 30 per cent,” he stated.
Earlier, Professor Ike-Muonso expressed appreciation to the Senate President and acknowledged the Senate’s ongoing reforms.
He said, “We have seen the reforms like the Tax Administration Bills, but the one that concerns us most is the bill to amend the Act of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, which is primarily to ensure that we do not export raw materials out of the country without at least 30 percent of value added.
“It is indeed Nigeria’s and Africa’s number one bill that will change the fortune of this country because Nigeria is a leader on the continent.”
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