Alex Nwaegbu is the immediate past Director General of Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, NGSA. In this thought provoking exclusive with The Rock Post, he reminisced that the Coal, the Tin, Limestone, Gold, Lead-Zinc etc discoveries that drove our industrial complex could not have been possible without the agency’s input. He further drew us to note that the first borehole in this country was drilled by the then Geological Survey of Nigeria (GSN), when water resources management was under the agency. This is besides the fact that many eminent Professors of geology at our ivory towers, had at various times been staff of NGSA. According to him, nothing could be more fulfilling than being part of the rich history of the organization.
He also appreciated all the former Heads/CEOs of the organization, especially Dr. J.D. Falconer, the pioneer Director of GSN whose seminal achievement include the compilation of the treatise: Geology and Geography of Northern Nigeria and Mr. C.N. Okezie, the first indigenous Director for their landmark contributions while hoping they would be proud of what the organization has been able to achieve, even in the face of an extremely challenging climate. Excerpts:
Q. NGSA is celebrating 100 years, has the agency lived up to expectations, if not, what will you advise it should do differently based on your experience.
R. If we situate the question in context, quite an appreciable progress has been made particularly during its early years when the colonial government truly understood the critical role NGSA (GSN) played in driving the economy of the country. Realizing the importance of the organization, the Director was a full member of the Cabinet. Subsequently but sadly, its relevance substantially diminished after the discovery of oil and the takeover of the administration of the country by Nigerians.
My advice is that we should substantially invest in geoscience information which is the bedrock of the mining value chain and the principal basis for investment decisions. NGSA, being the primary organ of government responsible for the generation and dissemination of geoscience information should receive improved attention of government.
Q. From inception till date, are you of the opinion that the body has gone through any form of significant evolution, different from name changes, and at what stage is any evolution most significant.
R. The agency has gone through several name changes and operated under different Ministries, but I believe its most significant transition was when the agency became a parastatal. This conferred on the agency some degree of autonomy resulting in enhanced leverage to effect some structural changes including the establishment of Centres of excellence. These research Centres focused respectively on marine geosciences, geohazards, laboratory analysis and geosciences information management systems. The agency has also embarked on massive digitization of its products and services and provided basis for a wide range of developmental planning initiatives in Nigeria.
Q. Various geological reports are generated by NGSA, some are published others are not, leading to duplication and repetition of efforts, not necessarily to improve on past works, why and how can this be avoided.
R. The existence of both published and unpublished reports has not necessarily led to duplication and repetition of efforts. So long as you have a comprehensive database of all projects executed, field expeditions are planned to ensure that the likelihood of unnecessary overlaps are minimized. Moreover, working on the same areas do not translate to duplication as you might be working on different thematic subjects and on perhaps different scales. However, to improve the process of proper archiving, NGSA is collaborating with British Geological Survey, BGS to establish a comprehensive and robust information management infrastructure for the agency.
Q. You are fondly remembered as a past DG, what legacy would you consider your most memorable contribution to the agency?
R. It may really be unfair to be asked to marshal out my most significant legacies in a few sentences. Reference to memorable status may be somehow subjective, depending on the aspect one considers most significant. However, my major thrust considering the monumental funding gaps, was to fix the largely dysfunctional infrastructure that had existed at the agency for so long. This state of affairs militated against the agency’s fulfilling its mandate. We repaired the high-end analytical equipment in our laboratories in Kaduna such as the XRF, XRD while at the same time procuring the much needed and first of its kind in Nigeria, fire assay facility and the carbon analyzers, to expand the scope of our operations. Many of our laboratory scientists were sent to South Africa for intensive training on the current trends in analytical geochemistry and instrumentation. Some high resolution geophysical equipment and hand held XRF were also procured. They later enabled quick identification of elements in the field.
The agency had to wait for nearly forty years to be able to acquire two new high capacity rigs and field vehicles to facilitate our operations.
The Agency updated the National mineral occurrence database while also working on the detailed exploration of some industrial minerals like carbonates. New discoveries were made and further characterization of known occurrences substantially improved the resource value of these raw materials necessary for our local industries. This initiative was in line with the Ministry’s Road Map for the development of the mining sector.
NGSA also succeeded in taking delivery of the 26,000 line km of EM data acquired more than ten years ago.
We also started correcting some errors observed in our geological maps as well as improving the numbers published. Collaboration with Nigerian universities under the University Partnership Programme (UPP), an initiative started by my predecessor also improved the number of maps made available to the public. More than seven (7) Bulletins were published under my watch. It is instructive to note that the current National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project (NIMEP) was initiated during my tenure.
NGSA had for more than 30 years lacked the capacity to contribute to the knowledge of earthquake monitoring in Nigeria. That changed after a set of seismometers were installed and a triangulation network established in Abuja where repeated earth tremors had, in recent times, been experienced. NGSA was involved in the Inter-ministerial Committee charged with the responsibility of formulating a programme to holistically address the issues of national earth quake monitoring and mitigation.
I also initiated the process of putting NGSA in the tourism map by restructuring our museum to international standards.
I established a committee of eminent professors to reestablish a more consistent and acceptable stratigraphic nomenclature for the country, to address the often-conflicting name usages being currently applied in our ecosystem.
Apart from the robust programme on capacity building across board for NGSA staff, expansion of the agency to create additional Directorates, for better service delivery was also achieved.
Strong links with our international counterparts were established after I assumed office as the President of the Organization of African Geological Surveys (OAGS) in 2016. My engagements with our European counterparts created capacity building opportunities for our staff through diverse platforms like the PanAfGeo initiative. We started finalizing the processes of operationalizing our various MOU agreements with the Geological Survey Organizations of China, Poland, Morocco, USGS, Finland, South Africa and France.
As the President of the OAGS,I played a major role at the UNECE conference in Geneva where the African initiative on UNFC/AMREC/ PARC programme was formulated.
NGSA sponsored a staff who was, in Geneva, elected the Vice Chair of the Expert Group on Resource Classification (EGRC), an arm of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). This feat further enhanced the credibility of the agency in the eyes of the international community.
The Agency put in place a robust portal, where in collaboration with the MineDiver Decision Support System (DSS), is ensuring that digital information that include airborne data, mineral occurrence data base, core-logs are seamlessly disseminated to the public. These are, among many other legacies, I regard as my modest contribution towards the growth of the agency, the sector and the nation.
Q. Comparatively with similar agencies worldwide, British Geological Survey, USGS (America) France, Australia, South Africa, would you say we are doing great in terms of deliverables?
R. When you compare similar agencies like the BGS, USGS or even South Africa, with NGSA, honestly, I think a lot of work still needs to be done. These are countries that have gotten to the level where they understand and appreciate the importance of a national institution like the Geological Surveys, an organ responsible for the provision of geoscience information required by stakeholders in mining, agriculture, civil engineering, medicine, environment, military etc. You cannot expect top notch deliverables from an institution the nation has not significantly invested in. There were periods when the yearly capital budget of NGSA was less than $100,000 i.e about 30 million naira. How could you then be expected to deliver and equally compete at the international arena? Our African counterpart, the Council for Geosciences, South Africa has an ocean-going vessel to enhance their blue economy. They operate their own air craft used for exploration. The case of NGSA has been the exact opposite where the agency was allowed to rot for so long. It is truly frustrating to place huge demand and expectation on a dysfunctional infrastructure. The situation is however changing as the present administration is making concerted efforts at redressing this dire state of affairs.
Q. Sir, you will recall that the defunct Nigerian Mining Corporation (NMC), based in Jos, had some special responsibilities with respect to minerals development and mining, which was acclaimed as a complimentary initiative to NGSA, how in your view, has NMC’s dissolution impacted on the sector.
R. There is no denying the fact that most government run institutions have not fared well in terms of cost-effective operations. The list is virtually endless; refineries, airlines, hotels, industries etc. Perhaps this informed the choice to technically disband the organization although the law setting it up has not yet been vacated. We shouldn’t however throw away the baby and the bathwater. NMC could be reestablished as an MPV, to hold government interests in viable assets, much like the NNPC JVs. But often times government concerns become over bloated and are stifled by all sorts of bureaucracies and political encumbrances. It is however Government’s intention to divest from active and direct participation in mining. There exists some level of inequity when you are a player and a regulator at the same time.
Q. What is your view on the ongoing intervention by Government to generate geological information (National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project) on mineral resource across the country?
R. This project was started under my watch and it is indeed a noble project aimed at catalyzing the mining sector road map. Apart from the many variables that incentivize the mining sector like commodity prices, mining laws, technology, security, geology the one very critical factor at the foundation of the mining value chain is the reliable geoscience data and information. Potential investors generally desire additional information on the potential mineral targets aimed at significantly de-risking their investment portfolios. It is part of government’s responsibilities to provide an enabling investment climate.
Q. Through Government intervention and international agencies support, a number of specialized agencies such as MinDiver, SMDF, etc have been established, do you see these as the missing link between stakeholders and mineral resource development in Nigeria?
R. Mining value chain requires deliberate coordination of different segments, be it operations, policies, funding etc. MinDiver and SMDF represent some of these diverse programmes. SMDF is being reorganized to ensure that it fulfills its mandate of providing financial stimulus to the mining sector. I believe they are on course but the process should be accelerated. My advice to MinDiver is that they should ensure that the national interests come before and above the dictates of the world Bank even though they made the loan facility possible.
Q. What do you see as major hindrances to NGSA delivering on its mandate?
R. Funding constraints is a major issue, because this is what drives every other aspect of the agency’s activities. Adequate funding enables the agency acquire requisite infrastructure, train staff, embark on field expeditions and engage in robust information dissemination. The other very important aspect is to improve on advocacy, this is against the background that many of the people involved in the oversight of the agency have very little understanding of the mining sector. In one of my budget defense, I was queried as to why I should be embarking on geological mapping every year, a clear indication of the need to properly bring them up to speed on the nuances of the sector. I made them to understand that even the centuries-old climes like Britain and the US, are still involved in geological mapping. Unknown to many, geology has footprints in almost every aspect of human endeavour.
Q. What advises do you have for the current regulators and operators of the industry?
R. They should be unrelenting in their pursuit of excellent delivery of services in line with the ERGP as well as operate in justice and fairness. They should also ensure that the concerns of critical stakeholders are considered in most of their decisions. Security agencies should be involved to assist in blocking some obvious loopholes while ensuring that international best practices are strictly adhered to.
Q. How is life in retirement? (What are you engaged in presently)
R. It is an inevitable fact that at some point in life, one must exit the platform he is operating in. The world is a stage and changing paradigms present themselves at different times and stages in one’s life. However, once a geoscientist always a geoscientist. As a result of my extensive exposure as the then President of OAGS, some organizations have been extending invitations to me to present papers at some seminars and workshops. Some of these opportunities are outside the field of core geosciences, for instance, on environmental and climate change issues. I am working on that as well as exploring other areas that I have always known to posses some intrinsic gifts. I am trying to develop my skills in environmental and interior design architecture, an area I had excelled in on non professional basis even while still in service. I still practice geology. For us, retirement is just another opportunity to pursue our other dreams.
I wish to seize this opportunity to wish my successor and other NGSA staff a glorious future.
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