In recognition of the giant strides made in revenue generation by the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office (MCO), the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) om Wednesday, inducted the Director General of the Agency, Engr. O. S. Nkom into the NANS Hall of Fame.
Executive National Secretary General of NANS, Usman Baba Kaikai, who decorated the Director General alongside members of the National Executives Council of NANS, said the Agency scored great goals in revenue generation, surpassing targets and triggering youth interest in the mining sector.
We are students, we are youth and we attach a lot of importance to milestones such as the encouragement of young people via attainment of goals, he added.
The NANS leadership said the NIRA Awards conferred on the MCO as well as other meritorious conferment testify to the transparency in the operations of the MCO.
Speaking further, he said: “This award is to encourage you to continue to do more because you’re doing it in the interest of the growth and wellbeing of all Nigerians.”
In his acceptance speech, Engr. Nkom expressed delight over the recognition, saying that the honor shows that people are watching. He said he regards the award as one which has come to encourage him to work harder towards improving the contribution of MCO to national development.
Engr. Nkom who said that developing Nigeria is the responsibility of all, explained that while assuming office as the Director General, the mandate to uphold transparency, accountability, and maximize revenue generation was clearly established and being followed to the letter under his watch.
He expressing the readiness of his office to partner NANS in undertaking the responsibility of developing Nigeria, noting that solid minerals constitute a large percentage of the wealth of nations hence the essence of developing the mining sector is to create more jobs for the well-being of citizens in the country, especially for the youths.
He said: “When you look at our revenue since 2019, we have always surpassed the previous year. During the COVID-19 in 2020, we were supposed to shut down, but we still surpassed the previous year.”
He recalled how the effort of the office under his watch to upgrade technologically and digitally is paying off, stating that the MCO emerged the best digital innovation agency of the federal government for 2022 by NIRA, a Non- governmental body established to manage Nigeria’s country code.
“It’s simply taking up our responsibility according to our conscience and passion for the development of the country,” he noted.
He commended the Management and Staff of the MCO for their efforts towards achieving the required growth for the development of the sector and economy, and commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for showing concerns on the plights and well-being of the Nigerian students.
The Director General thanked the Executives of NANS for recognizing his efforts towards ensuring the growth of the country’s economy through the MCO.
