President, Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS), Professor Akinade Shadrach Olatunji says the commissioning of the state–of–the–art ICP-MS Laboratory of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) on the week preceding the 60th Annual General Conference & Exhibitions of the NMGS is a good omen for the NMGS and for the country’s mineral sector.
He stated: “What a week to start the week preceding the 60th anniversary of the NMGS conference! This is a fantastic week that portends good things to come in the sector and beyond the sector.” The NMGS conference is scheduled for February 16 to 21, 2025, at Chida International Hotel, Abuja.
Akinade, who made the remark in his goodwill message at the commissioning of the NGSA ICP-MS Laboratory, in Abuja on Tuesday, described the establishment of the laboratory as a milestone and game-changer for the sector and country.
In order to maximize the deliverables of the analytical equipment in use across agencies of government in the sector, Akinade encouraged the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, its Agencies and all service providers in the organized private sector to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the conference to showcase their analytical equipment and professional services. This, he said they can do by taking a paid-for exhibition booth where they can demonstrate their skills and expertise across the mining and geosciences spectrum.
According to the Professor of Applied and Environmental Geochemistry, the exhibition is designed to give visibility to services that can be provided by the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences (NIMG), Nigerian Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC), National Steel Raw Materials Explorations Agency (NSRMEA), the Mining Cadastre Office and other public and private institutions which exist to develop the sector.
Discussing the NGSA ICP-MS Laboratory as a game changer and revenue earner for the mining sector, Prof Olatunji said: “In the past two years, I paid over sixty thousand Dollars ($60,000) to Quantum Laboratories, a foreign lab for the analysis of mineral samples.”
“Sixty thousand Dollars is a large sum of money that I paid to a foreign laboratory for mineral analysis. Now, I am very excited that all such sums will no longer leave the country. I am grateful to the Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification (MinDiver) for financing the establishment of the laboratory,” he said.
He commended the incumbent and past Directors–General of the NGSA, saying: “I am happy that the past Directors-General and the current Director–General of the NGSA have continued to work together to ensure the progress of the sector and ensure that the vision to establish an ICP-MS laboratory has come to pass.”
“Professionals readily agree that the establishment of a world class ICP-MS Laboratory is a great game changer, it can analyze 70–plus elements in less than one minute to a precision level of parts per billion.” This, he said is extraordinary, adding that geochemists prefer naturally prefer an ICP-MS Laboratory wherever it is found around the world because of its high precision.”
“It is very high precision equipment, and also very delicate. So, we are hoping that after the commissioning, it will be maintained and kept fit to continue to function for the betterment of the sector.”
While saying that geoscientists in Nigeria pass through difficulties while trying to get FOREX needed to send mineral samples abroad for testing, he expressed delight that the situation will come to an end as a result of the establishment of the NGSA ICP-MS Laboratory.
“People no longer need to send mineral samples abroad for testing because NGSA now has a lab that will do it for them.”
“Therefore, I congratulate the NGSA and the Federal Government for making this feat possible,” he added.
