A human rights activist and community leader, Ojay Mattew, has described a former Director – General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Prof. H.D Ibrahim’s quest for the development and establishment of several raw materials manufacturing plants during his tenure to make Nigeria self-sufficient in key raw materials and possibly become a net exporter of these products as unequalled
Matthew, who made this known during a chat with newsmen early in the week, noted that during Ibrahim’s stay, the Council established a state – of – the – art RMRDC Technology and Innovation Complex at the National Space Research and Development Agency to drive the process of projects commercialization and industrialization.
He stressed that being a pioneering complex, it aimed at serving as an incubation center for technologies in the development of industrial raw materials and designed to achieve so many things such as serving as a model/pilot plants development center for the council’s successful raw materials and development,
The community leader further added that the complex was also put in place to encourage the private sector to utilize and invest the proven indigenous technologies for raw materials processing and to stimulate the private sector to establish required resource-based industries
“The complex comprises a pilot plant for the production of industrial and pharmaceutical grade starch from tacca, a pilot plant for the production of glucose syrup and ethanol from sweet sorghum, a pilot plant for the production of castor oil, a pilot plant for the production of Sorbitol from cassava, a pilot plant for the production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and a gigantic pilot plant for the production of sugar from sugar beet just to mention a few.”
According to him, the over thirty pilot plants for the production of various commodities will definitely propel the economy to the next level in no distant future.
He noted that as President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” looks beyond crude oil and aims to diversify the economy, saying that the RMRDC technology and innovation complex in Abuja is a place to take advantage of, and the citizens of this great nation Nigeria will have Prof H.D Ibrahim to appreciate in the future for a great vision for technology and innovation.
Matthew stressed that if one takes a look at Professor Ibrahim’s past and why he has the passion for making Nigeria a leading nation in Africa in the production of raw materials, one needs not to be surprised because prior to his assumption of office as the Director General of the Council, he had served in several committees, inter-ministerial and councils and boards like National Consultative Committee on the Industrialization of Scientific Research Result, National Committee on Deletion Programme for Industrial Raw Materials, Secretary and Member and Committee of Directors Research Institutes.
He, however, expressed his pride that Ibrahim’s legacy had to be maintained even as some of his detractors were out to tarnish his accomplishments while at the helm of affairs at the Raw Materials Research and Development Council.
