COMEG: PERMANENT HEAD OFFICE, PUBLICITY OUR MAJOR HEADACHE – REGISTRAR/CEO
Alex Enemanna and Patience Aliede
Unlike other regulatory agencies in the country, the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) despite critical roles it plays in regulating the activities of extractive industry practitioners may not favourably compete with the Nigerian Communication (NCC) its counterpart in the communication industry or the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) the foremost regulatory agency in the broadcast industry in terms of recognition, acceptance and sometimes how much it is known even among the industry players. Created under a military decree in 1990, COMEG 30 years later is still headquartered in a rented structure which gulps a larger chunk of its meager resources.
With a new vigour, vision and rejuvenated vibrancy, the new helmsman, the first professor of Mining Engineering in Nigeria, Prof. Zachaeus O. Opafunso, the third substantive Registrar/CEO of COMEG in its 30 years of existence, an academic per excellence and of course the first professor to head the Council is poised to changing the narratives. The most critical need of this body at this moment is a permanent head office. When I came on board, I listed so many areas that need attention but I scaled it down to the most pressing ones. Where we are at the moment, we pay a lot of money for hiring it. It is a major headache. The Honourable Minister for Mines and Steel Development, Arc Olamilekan Adegbite is looking into this passionately. We have submitted our reports and talks are still ongoing. In a short period of time, we will get a better place, he told The Rock Post.
Interestingly, the crucial and essential roles of certification and registration of mining engineers and geoscientists comprising of hydrogeologists, engineering geologists, water resources engineers and others, accreditation of training institutions for mining engineers and geoscientists, enforcement of code of conduct for virtually everyone involved in the business of extracting mineral resources and adding value to them has not attracted the prying eye of the fourth estate to COMEG, as publicity remains at its lowest ebb.
One of the very first assignments Prof. Opafunso undertook when he came on board in June 2020 was to pay courtesy visits to relevant agencies to prod their minds to the activities of COMEG and to further cement working relationship in an effort to reposition the extractive industry for the overall development of the country. COMEG is relatively unknown and it is a regulatory agency. In the area of publicity, we need to double our efforts and we are doing that. We have paid courtesy visits to Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), Ministry of Water Resources, Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) and others. We have not failed to tell them what we want and the areas we can work together so that there can be a symbiotic relationship between us.
For a government agency that has existed for about 30 years, who would imagine that COMEG does not have a functional website even at a period when stakeholders rely heavily on the internet to source information that are relevant to their fields of endeavour? Added to this is also the challenge of operational vehicles. The most recent batch vehicles in COMEG today were purchased about ten years ago, a situation that has impeded its activities. In the midst of all these, Prof. Opafunso has brokered high powered discussions with the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to surmount challenges.
COMEG is not immuned from the challenge of paucity of funds, a problem common to most government and private agencies. We are also confronted with paucity of fund. Internally generated revenue is not coming in. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, IGR was at its very base. There was lack of wherewithal to go round to sensitise people. We did not have what it takes to move round to recover revenues due to us. The funding was not enough and COVID-19 came and compounded the entire issue. Individuals and companies that should bring practicing fees just feel relaxed. Their revenue has also gone down.
Unremitted revenue totaling about N256 million accrued to COMEG is one being vigorously pursued by Prof. Opafunso himself. Both companies and members, about 166 of them owe COMEG about two hundred and fifty six million Naira and we are really on it. We checked the trend of payment from 2010 till date and we discovered that earlier when they started, it was low. Around 2013 and 2014, it picked up and in 2015, it began to drop again. Then in 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak made the matter even worse.
Bearing in mind that government may not provided all the funding needs of COMEG, the Registrar/CEO is also looking towards the direction of private sectors to bridge the gaps in funding. The Council is ready to welcome donation in funds, operational vehicles and any other equipment, including laptops to aid in the discharge of its functions.
The issue of enforcement of code of conduct is one COMEG is also treating with all seriousness. As a body legally mandated to wield the big stick when a member errs, COMEG’s internal investigative and disciplinary committee, which is called The Tribunal, has the same power with a high court. The tribunal has the power of high court. When we set up the tribunal, then we invite a high court judge to swear them in. The decision that takes place is binding as if it had been a court judgement. These are geared towards mitigating sharp practices, instill discipline and put corrupt practices on check. The committee on rights and privileges of members is also fully functional in COMEG.
With about 3,000 membership strength, the Council under the leadership of Prof. Opafunso is not resting on its oars to record a quantum leap from this figure in order to reposition it to compete with COREN and other similar professional bodies. His major concern however is that these industry players operate without being properly registered, a challenge that may be linked to lack of adequate publicity. The aggressive campaign recently rolled out to have them in the fold has been hampered by the outbreak of COVID-19. When you combine all the geoscientists and the extractive industry engineers in Nigeria, they are more than the membership of COREN. As a fellow of Nigeria Society of Engineers, I can say that with all authority. Majority are there, they are not yet registered. If you include all the geologists, petroleum, mining, water resources engineers and all the rest, you will discover that so many people have not yet been captured.
As a mining guru with rich experiential capacity garnered from various trainings across the world, including the US, Ghana, South Africa, Namibia and others, Prof. Opafunso is concerned that Nigeria is yet to achieve a standard mining practice when placed side by side with big mining sites across the world with Joint Ore Reserve Committee (JORC) certification. This has undoubtedly affected the development of the country’s mineral standard reporting system, a situation for which he has opened discussions with Nigeria Economic Summit Group, a voluntary economic group. Until we have something like JORC certification, and we are able to have mineral reporting standard, fashioned out of African Mineral Reporting Standard to meet with international practice, we are not there. The Technical Working Committee is working on this and COMEG will be part of it.
Decentralisation of the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) could also be a value addition in its quest to enthrone a standard practice in the extractive industry. Sadly, with only two zonal offices in a country of 36 states, this task appears a long dream. At least 6 zonal offices in each of the six geopolitical zones will bring COMEG a step closer to achieving its mandate, even though it requires at least one zonal office in each state. Availability of operational vehicles will help the council come face to face with the key stakeholders in the field. Above all it will significantly improve its revenue generation base. The era when local geoscientists and mining engineers roam around the streets despite possessing the prerequisite qualifications while the jobs are being thrown at quacks from outside the country will become a thing of the past. I will go with the mine police and tell them look, you cannot work without mining engineers and geoscientists. That can only happen when I can move from one point to another. So when I go to the field, I am empowered to do that. That is when we can say we are the regulator the way we are supposed to be.
The Registrar/CEO is satisfied with the level of co-operation he has received from sub-disciplines and affiliate groups such as NNGS, NAPE, Medical Geologists, Nigeria Mining Engineers Society, Borehole Drillers Association. We are working as a family. They have assured me of their support and we are moving forward. We also want to ensure that area of specialisation is very clear. If you are not a geo-physicist, you are not. If you are not a mining engineer or geologist, you are not. We want people to specialise in their areas of training.
Inter-agency synergy has gained new strength under the leadership of Prof. Opafunso. Under a new Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) certification from COMEG is a vital requirement for individuals and organisations to have any form of business transaction with Mining Cadastre Office (MCO), Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) which has the largest number of geoscientists and mining engineers in the country, Ministry of Water Resources, Nigeria Economic Summit Group and relevant bodies.
The COMEG Registrar/CEO has never hidden his commitment and readiness to end the animosity with Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). He exhibited this when upon assumption of office, he paid a courtesy visit to the President of the Council, a fellow Professor, Engr. Ali A. Rabiu where he pledged readiness for a cordial working relationship. Why should there be a cold war? My organisation is ‘Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists’. The controversy is about ‘Mining Engineers’ not ‘Geoscientists’. COREN regulates engineering and ‘Mining Engineering’ falls within engineering. It is not about geoscientists because COREN cannot register them.
The Council under Prof. Opafunso is leaving no stone unturned in recording a significant milestone that will serve as a reference point to those who will come after him. To this end, the door of collaboration and partnership has been thrown open to all willing stakeholders. He wants to be remembered for presiding over a COMEG that performed its regulatory role to its fullest. He wants to see an extractive industry manned by professionals who will play by rules of engagement. He wants to see a COMEG that will contribute meaningfully to the national treasury.
