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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has unveiled a revamped international journal as part of efforts to revive its research culture after publishing fewer than 10 peer-reviewed global journal articles in 38 years.
Director-General of the council, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martin Ike-Muonso, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the unveiling of the Journal of Raw Materials (JORMAR), admitting that the agency had fallen short of its mandate as a research institution.
He said despite securing about 46 patents since its establishment in 1988, the council had failed to publish enough scientific findings in reputable international journals.
“From 1988 till date, we do not have up to 10 peer-reviewed articles from this organisation published in reputable international journals. Beyond our patents, there is little evidence to justify calling ourselves a research council,” he said.
Ike-Muonso lamented that many research findings remained on the shelves instead of contributing to global knowledge and Nigeria’s industrial development.
To reverse the trend, he said the council had secured approval from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to establish a Research and Academic Cadre alongside the scientific and non-scientific cadres.
According to him, the new cadre will provide researchers with a structured academic career path, encourage regular publication of research findings and reposition the council as a globally recognised research institution.
He described the relaunch of JORMAR as a major milestone in restoring the council’s research culture, adding that the journal had been redesigned to meet international publishing standards.
The DG said former RMRDC Director-General and ex-Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Prof. Peter Onwualu, was appointed Editor-in-Chief to guarantee continuity and uphold the publication’s academic credibility.
Chairman of the JORMAR Committee, Dr. Sab Ebiriekwe, said all previous editions of the journal had been digitised and assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), making them permanently accessible and citable by researchers worldwide.
He added that the council had commenced the process of listing the journal in internationally recognised indexing and abstracting databases, expressing confidence that the publication would promote innovation, evidence-based policymaking and accelerate Nigeria’s industrial development.
