RMRDC Tasks Scientists to Manufacture Degradable Polymeric Products
Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja
The Director General, Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Martin Ike-Muonso, has urged polymer scientists in Nigeria to come up with polymeric products that are degradable and eco-friendly.
He spoke at the opening ceremony of the 6th Annual Polymer Institute of Nigeria (PIN), in Abuja with the theme, ‘Polymer Optimisation, Using Artificial Intelligence for Economic Recovery, CNG and Cleanean Energy Development.’
Ike-Muonso, who was represented by the Director, Chemical and Pharmaceuticals, RMRDC, Dr. Abubakar Kolere, said: “One other challenge that has always come to us and you is the issue of bi-degradable polymer.
“It has remained a challenge and it has been a challenge to all polymer scientists and it has been the challenge of manufacturing. It has been an issue even in the SDGs; the menace of plastic waste is a challenge.
“One of the ways is to look at and address that issue if you can develop bio-degradable polymers especially from various resources, researches and other sources.
“With that, we can do quite a lot; develop the sector, protect the environment and mitigate the effects and impacts of climate change and global warming.”
Speaking earlier, he said: “We at the RMRDC with the key mandate of the development and utilisation of raw materials are significant partner of Polymer institute.
“The council also takes this conference seriously because it identifies it as one of the sources where significant R&D (research and development) projects can come out that the council can partner with researchers in order to fund and move forward. Our main task remains value addition of raw materials.”
While speaking on the manufacturing and use of polymer products, the National President of PIN, Prof. Paul Ejikeme, said: “Anytime you mention polymer, people’s mind will quickly run to those places where polymer is a problem. As Polymer Institute of Nigeria, what we are doing as a professional body is to be more like a pressure group on government to make sure that a number of legislations, policies are put in place to ameliorate part of the problems associated with the use of polymer.”
The keynote speaker and President of African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Prof. Azikiwe Onwualu, said there was sufficient number of eminent scientists, industrialists, professionals, policy makers, regulators and civil society at the conference to interrogate the issues in order to evolve sustainable solutions that can ensure optimisation of polymer production and utilisation processes for economic development and environmental sustainability.
“These can lead to re-industrialisation of Nigeria and pollution free cities if we adopt circular economy principles to ensure that polymer waste becomes new materials for other products and processes,” he said.
He also called on the government and other relevant stakeholders to live up to their expectations so that the polymer sector can galvanise industrialisation.
He noted: “The role of government in achieving the above is key. The various institutions and regulatory agencies that have been established under the PIA should be reinforced and enabled to function optimally in such a way that the downstream oil and gas industries can thrive once more in Nigeria.
“This will lead to a new wave of industries in the sector which will eventually provide the required raw materials for the other industrial sectors, leading to re-industrialization of Nigeria and hence providing a sustainable solution to the paradox of the Nigerian economy.”
According to him, the environmental challenges associated with the use of polymer arise from “irresponsible use of polymer”.
He stated that his institute was working on being chartered, adding that the bill had passed through the National Assembly and was presented to former President Muhammadu Buhari but was not signed into law.
He said the institute was following it up, adding that if it goes through and it becomes an Act, what it means is that a lot of things will be put in place that will lead to responsible manufacturing and responsible use of polymeric products.
The Deputy Director, RMRDC and Chairman, Local Organising Committees (LOC) of the 2024 conference, Mrs. Elizabeth Dashe, said: “There is nothing that is not polymer; polymer has very wide use. And for any government or country to have good economic recovery you need to develop the polymer sector.
“And in this era of AI, you know that technology is moving very fast and if we don’t adopt AI in developing our own polymer sector in this country, we will be left far behind. We have a lot of experts who have come up with innovations with researches that can turn around the polymer sector in this country for our economic recovery.”
