The quest for the standardization of mining engineering and geosciences practice in the country received a boost at the weekend, as a frontline mining engineering consultancy company, Geocardinal Engineering Services announced its cooperation with the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineering and Geoscientists (COMEG). COMEG is statutorily responsible for the regulation and standardization of mining engineering and geosciences practice in the country.
Lead Consultant, Geocardinal Engineering, Engr Titilope Adeyemo dropped the hint when he paid a visit to the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Joseph Adeola Fuwape alongside the Registrar of COMEG, Prof Zacheus Opafunso, during the just concluded five-day professional training program organized by the Council in Akure, Ondo State.
He said the key aim of the collaboration is to professionalize the practice of mining engineering and geosciences in the country, such that practitioners in Nigeria will deliver services at best, in line with global standards.
While saying that Geocardinal Engineering Services, in conjunction with the Management Team of the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG), has set machineries in place to work on modalities for repositioning the Council to ensure delivery of world-class services in the sector, Adeyemo implored the Vice Chancellor to educate professionals on the benefits of registering and being certified with more than one relevant professional body, stating that mining engineers should be certified by both COREN and COMEG.
Adeyemo, who is an active member of both professional bodies observed that although thousands of professionals abound in university communities, but very few of them are registered with COMEG. While appealing to the Vice Chancellor to help to correct the error, he expressed optimism that the support of the Vice Chancellor was necessary to achieve set goals.
The consultant further enjoined the Vice Chancellor and his team to use their offices to encourage relevant candidates within their domain to register with COMEG and be up to date with their membership so that they can enjoy the benefits of such trainings that is planned for all the zones of the country in the course of the year.
The Registrar, Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists, Prof. Zacheus Opafunso enumerated the objectives of the five-day Professional Training Programme which theme is, ‘Professional Development Training Workshop on Mineral Reporting Standards.’
Head, Publicity and Communications, COMEG, Mrs ‘Bunmi Ojo who confirmed the development to our correspondent in Abuja, quoted the Registrar of the Council, Prof Zacheus Opafunso as saying that the training was organized for COMEG-recognized Competent Persons, adding that Akure was chosen as location for the training because of the abundance of assorted mineral deposit, a development he said was confirmed by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu who met with the delegation of the collaborating authorities, earlier.
The Registrar assured that his regulatory council is willing to work with the government of Ondo State toward achieving set goals for the sector as outlines by administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Registrar explained to the Vice Chancellor that the Federal Government has prioritized the extractive sector as one of the major focus of the Buhari administration to diversify the economy as such, all hands must be on deck to ensure that the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) succeed in its mandate as the foremost regulator of the professionals in the sector.
The Vice Chancellor in his response thanked the Management Team of COMEG and Geocardinal Engineering for involving the Federal University of Technology, Akure, (FUTA) in the quest for proper Certification of professionals in Mining and Geosciences so as to make them at par with their counterparts globally thereby making them properly placed to sign acceptable Mineral Reports instead of going all over the world looking for signatories when our scientists are the ones doing both the “brain work as well as the leg work”.
He advised the Management Team of the Council to continue to operate an open-door policy, adding that FUTA will readily support the Council in the bid to realize set goals.
Commenting on the quality of value impacted by the just concluded training, the Registrar said: “We are happy that we have impacted knowledge and we are very confident that our scientists are able to write our reports in a professional and skillful manners since they have acquired the skills they need to do so.”
The meeting, which was attended by the Management Team of COMEG, was also attended by the Deputy Vice Chancellor – Academic and the Deputy Vice Chancellor – Development, and other principal officers of the university.
