… as COMEG accredits Academic Programs in 17 Universities, 1 Polytechnic, 1 Training Institute
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite has commended Prof. Zacheus Opafunso-led Management of the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) for turning around the fortunes of the extractive industry by putting in place measures to checkmate bad practices, saying, “I met COMEG in shambles when I resumed as Minister of Mines and Steel Development, then Prof. Opafunso was appointed as the substantive Registrar and he is changing the state of the Council.”
The Minister who spoke at a ceremony in Abuja, on Monday, where he presented COMEG Accreditation Certificates to some institutions accredited by the Council said it is rewarding and impressive that COMEG is living up to its expectation as a regulatory Agency by ensuring the standard impartation of mining and geosciences knowledge in tertiary institutions across the country.
He therefore called on institutions that are yet to be visited by the Council, to cooperate with the Council for the good of the extractive industry and the country at large. He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his support in resuscitating the accreditation exercise in COMEG.
President, Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, Prof. Akinade Olatunji commended COMEG for the effort, saying that the exercise is coming after so many years of lacuna.
The MNGS President said: “It is gratifying that COMEG Board is active, and focused on actualizing the core mandate of COMEG,” adding that the Board has provided the right atmosphere for the implementation of progressive ideas and initiatives and has made it possible for COMEG activities to be undertaken unimpeded.
The Professor of Geology explained that the accreditation exercise is one of the several initiatives of the Board, adding that the commencement of the issuance of annual practicing digital stamps is another revolutionary action taken by the Board and management of COMEG.
Prof Olatunji further said: “The renewed effort at regulating the training of professionals in the Extractive industry envisaged by this accreditation exercise is commendable and timely,” adding that the accreditation exercise can and should put an end to the deteriorating quality of instructions and training being received by students in the various programmes being accredited.
According to him, “the exercise would afford the management of such institutions the opportunities to retool where necessary and to facilitate procurement of additional teaching aides and laboratory equipment where such are found insufficient.”
“The instructors would also be put on their toes in being fully compliant, knowing that unregistered individuals are deemed to be practicing illegally in the face of the law.”
He congratulated the institutions “that have been found successful in this accreditation exercise,” stating that it is a testimony of the resilience of the Nigerian education sector.”
“Despite the paucity of fund, these institutions have been found to be worthy places to train our students in the various sub-disciplines of our Society,” he said and encourage them to continue to strive to maintain the standard and improve on it.
Discussing the commitment of the NMGS to professionalism of the extractive industry, Prof Olatunji said: “The NMGS believes strongly that COMEG is surely on the right trajectory and all efforts should be made to sustain the momentum. The NMGS believes the next level of focus of COMEG should be in enforcements of the law.”
He said the flagrant violation of the law governing the practice of the Mining Engineering and Geosciences profession as manifested in the massive influx of unregistered individuals into the extractive industry must be brought to a halt. “Every unregistered foreign national in all sectors of the extractive industry should not be spared,” he warned, adding that the NMGS will work with COMEG to ensure that all necessary actions are taken to achieve this.
“We at NMGS know that all these initiatives would have been impossible if not for the active support and encouragement from the Ministry headed by the Minister, Arc Olamilekan Adegbite, and his management team.
Addressing the Minister, Prof Olatunji said: “The NMGS is indeed appreciative of your support since you were appointed to lead the Ministry and we hope that the relationship you have established with the NMGS would be sustained even after office, you are now one of us, a distinguished fellow of the NMGS.”
Registrar and Chief Executive, COMEG, Prof. Zacheus Opafunso congratulated the accredited institutions and called on schools yet to be accredited to cooperate with COMEG for their accreditation, adding that only graduates of programmes accredited by the Council shall be registered to practice as mining engineers, geoscientists and other extractive industry professions.
He thanked the minister for his support saying: “I wish to express my gratitude to the Honorable Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite for for his unflinching support without which this accreditation ceremony would not have been possible.”
Opafunso, who explained that 11 years elapsed since the last COMEG Accreditation Exercise, was delighted that the current Council has resuscitated it. “In 2021, 30 programmes were in 19 tertiary institutions in the South West, South East and South South parts of the country were accredited.”
The registrar said: “Our plan was to cover the northern tertiary institutions in 2022which had to be suspended due to industrial strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff of Universities that took the better part of the year.”
He announced that COMEG is the process of covering the northern institutions this year 2023 in order to bring this round of the exercise to a close,” he added.
The following institutions and academic programme(s) were accredited by the Council. Ladoke Akintole University of Technology (Applied Geology and Applied Geophysics), Delta State University (Geology), Mountain Top University (Geophysics and Geology), Obafemi Awolowo University (Geology and Geophysics), Adekunle Ajasin University (Applied Geophysics and Geology), University of Lagos (Geology and Geophysics), Federal University of Technology, Akure (Mining Engineering, Remote sensing and Applies Geology), Ajayi Crowther University (Geology), Rivers State University (Geology), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (Geology) and Gregory University (Geology).
Others are Ekiti State University (Geology), Osun State University (Geology), Ebonyi State University (Geology), University of Ibadan (Geology), University of Port Harcourt (Geology), Crawford University (Geology and Mineral Science), Petroleum training Institute (HND Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences) and the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti (HND Geological Engineering).
