As part of effort towards ending revenue leakage and encouraging value addition in the solid mineral industry, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite has urged members of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) to bring their wealth of experience to bear in ensuring that laboratory facilities in Kaduna and other locations are upgraded to standard for mineral analysis certification in the country.
The Minister gave the charge while playing host to a delegation of professionals from NMGS who were led by its President, Engr Obadiah Nkom, on a courtesy visit to his office yesterday in Abuja.
“Work very towards ensuring that certification is done in the country. A former Senator who is a miner recently told me he was duped at a time because he had to go and do certification outside.
“If you have competent hands here that can certify things, the better for our economy. A situation where when people want to certify, they take the material outside the country does not augur well with us as a nation.
“We need to train people, not just theoretically, but people who will apply the knowledge gained practically in solving problems in the sector,” he said.
Engr Adegbite who admitted that he was quite impressed with the calibre of professionals on the delegation, also urged them to work towards ensuring that the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) is administratively and structurally upgraded and repositioned to carry out its mandate of monitoring and regulation optimally in the sector.
Speaking earlier, NMGS President, Engr Nkom who doubles as the DG, Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) expressed gratitude to the Mr President and the Minister for their drive towards re-positioning the sector for optimal performance, which according to him, is why hope has been restored over some projects long abandoned such as the Ajaokuta Steel Company.
Nkom who informed the Minister that the society will be having its induction in the coming days within December said looking at the global trend today, every one is convinced that the future of oil which has been Nigeria sole source of income for decades is at stake, hence the solid minerals with all its huge potential can be relied upon by Nigeria to move forward.
Speaking earlier, a former President of the society, Mrs Deborah Ajakaye implored the Minister to look into how the laboratory in Kaduna could be expeditously upgraded ease the professionals work of certification.
The delegation was made up of professionals and geologists among whom were past Presidents and officials of NMGS which has been in existence since 1961.
