The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has assured Nigerians that the passage of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council Amendment Bill would pave the way for Nigeria to assume its place as a continental exporter of raw materials.

He stated this in Abuja on Thursday while receiving members of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, led by the Director-General, Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso.

“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,” Akpabio said.

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, Akpabio lamented that despite being a major cocoa producer, Nigeria imports cocoa products at a higher cost, with no local input or processing. He called for a change of narratives.

He commended the Nigerian Senate, through the sponsor of the bill, Senator Onyekachi Nweboyin, for the initiative and expressed concern over the solid minerals sector, describing it as “pathetic” due to the lack of value addition before export.

“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 said.

He advised the council to prioritise training, re-training, and sensitisation of Nigerians, suggesting that students in secondary schools be taught to recognise raw materials and solid minerals wherever they are found.

“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 declared.

Earlier, Professor Ike-Muonso thanked the Senate President for the audience and acknowledged the progress made by the current Senate leadership.

He stated, “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.”