The Honorable Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has commissioned the ultra-modern PHASE II Office complex and a new state-of-the art Resource Center of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC).

Dr.Onu said that the Federal Government is doing everything possible to ensure that every Nigerian is proud of the country by providing creative ways to wealth creation and reducing poverty.

He further said that “what we are looking at is the future of our country; we want a Nigeria where every Nigerian will be very proud”. This Resource Center is very important to the growth of this Nation and it represents the future of our Nation.

Speaking further, he said the center was almost like a museum because of the display of all raw materials available in the nation, their location, their reserve and a lot more would be found in one spot.

“Investment opportunities will be made available here; a business man or woman can see those raw materials and take a decision in investing in using any of such raw materials and that is what the resource center will do for us”. This is critical because it is going to help in the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. It is also important to our diversification agenda because we can create more jobs and generate wealth for our people.

He also added that “those Micro Small and Medium Enterprises will start small but have the capacity to grow into large enterprises, which is how to grow the economy, create wealth and fight poverty.” 

Earlier, the Director General RMRDC, Professor Hussaini Doko Ibrahim said the Resource Center was an avenue to take the raw materials potentials of the nation closer to prospective Nigerian and foreign investors. He said the Center had successfully assembled the nation’s vast raw materials resources under one roof.

“Over the years, RMRDC has kept faith with its relevant stakeholders by ensuring and encouraging the diversification of our economy and the utilization of the nation’s strategic raw materials for the production of quality goods and services on a competitive scale. This has boosted the industrial value chain potentials of selected strategic raw materials leading to an increase in products manufacturing and growth of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) among other things” he said.