Binta Shama and
Kehinde Osasona
Abuja
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonanaya Onu, has charged media practitioners to champion competitiveness advocacy in Nigeria as the country moves towards global competitiveness.
Onu made this call yesterday in Abuja at the 1st round-table for journalists on National strategy for competitiveness in Raw materials and Products Development organized by Raw Materials and Development Council (RMRDC).
He said that the gathering was imperative in providing veritable means of galvanizing the public towards successful strategy implementation and urged them to set agenda for the ideas, focus and expectation of Nigerians.
“Your roles and responsibilities are enormous especially on publicity of the competitiveness strategy as a platform to refocus our business activities and resources towards utilization of Nigerian research and Development Institutions’ commercializable scientific breakthroughs. The strategy provides ample knowledge on raw materials and products classification where individual industries must focus attention and which research and development and academic institution they should be relating.”
“The media should be using this strategy to challenge our indefatigable industrialists in Nigeria, to brave the odds and make paradigm shift from over dependence on imported raw materials and products and look inwards for innovation, competitiveness and attainment of sustainable indigenous industrial revolution,”
He added that with the strategy in place, there will be a deliberate policy of government towards empowerment of the business community through incentives and conducive business environment especially in upgrading logistics, infrastructural needs and policies of the business community.
