The Raw Material Research Development Council of Nigeria (RMRDC) says the country has over 9000 natural resources that are yet to be tapped by the manufacturing sector as raw materials for finished products.

RMRDC's Director General, Professor Peter Onwualu who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja when he made a presentation during the visit of Bayelsa State's commissioner for science and technology to the federal ministry of science and technology, said each of the 9,555 wards across the country is blessed with one natural resource or the other.

Professor Onwualu said Nigerians are sitting on wealth but many do not know this.

He said RMRDC had produced a compendium of the natural resource endowment of each 774 local governments and the 9555 wards in the country.

The RMRDC DG lamented that rather than source their raw materials locally, manufacturing companies prefer to buy them abroad.

He said the ministry of science and technology has commenced moves to tap the untapped resources by promoting knowledge based clusters of small scale industries.

He said this would discourage migration from rural to urban areas in search of jobs and would also improve the capital base of most rural business people.

Earlier, the minister of science and technology, Professor Ita Ewa said science and technology is the driver of the economy and the country can only neglect it at its own peril.

He said the government would use technology to bring out hidden wealth in the country.