Miners Without Registration with Mining Council Will not be Recognised- Dele Alake

The Federal Government has pledged to enhance professionalism within Nigeria’s extractive industry by eliminating quackery in the mining sector.

Dr. Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, made this commitment during the 13th Induction and Certificate Presentation organized by the Council of Nigeria Mining Engineers And Geoscientists (COMEG) in Abuja.

He stated that mining engineers lacking accreditation from the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) would no longer be acknowledged by the ministry, a measure aimed at purging the sector of unqualified practitioners.

He said, “As of today, no Mining Engineer or Geoscientist will be recognized by the Ministry of Solid Minerals without COMEG registration. If you are not registered, you are quack and all reports that come into the ministry must carry the stamp of the COMEG registration”

This initiative, according to the Minister, is part of a broader strategy to eliminate quackery from the industry.

Addressing the audience, the Minister emphasized that globally, the transition away from fossil fuels is underway, and Nigeria must not lag.

Therefore, there is a crucial need to think innovatively by leveraging the abundant mineral resources bestowed upon the country by divine providence.

He stated, “Well, I’ve decided that we must shift focus from our dependency on oil to activating the potentialities embedded in the solid material. That’s the philosophy behind the creation of the solid ministry”,

Nigeria has been looking to boost the contribution of the mining sector to its overall economic output. In the Q3 GDP report from the National Bureau of Statistics, the Mining and Quarrying Sector contributed just 8.32% to the economy.

However, around 92% of that sector is dominated by crude oil and petroleum exploration.

The current Minister of Solid Minerals has expressed his interest to sanitise the sector and improve its contribution to the economy as the world moves towards energy sources trace their origin to mining.