Minister Seeks Professionalism Among Mining Engineers

The minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite has urged inductees of the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) to join hands with the council to uphold the ethics of the profession, as stipulated in the Council’s Code of Conduct.

The minister gave this charge in Abuja recently during the occasion of the COMEG’s 12th Induction Ceremony, according to a statement signed by Ijomah Opia for the director of press and public relations in the ministry  and made available to journalists.

Adegbite said the occasion marks another momentous conjuncture in the journey of the council towards becoming the foremost regulator in the Nigerian Extractive Industry.

He said, “Going back in time, I still recount with nostalgia all the laudable achievements of this Council in the life of this present administration, most of which are in tandem with Mr. President’s aspirations toward building a prosperous nation”.

According to him, these  achievements are highly recommendable under the leadership of ĺthe registrar, Prof. Zacheus Opafunso.

Also, he revealed that over the years, the Council had consistently been a role model among other agencies under his watch, especially in its quest to ensure professionalism is entrenched by practitioners as well as  making relevant professional practices lawful by re-introducing and re-energizing its Mandatory Professional Examination (MPE) in the year 2020 in line with Part iv section 11 – (1) of the COMEG Act No. 40 of 1990 (now CAP C33 LFN 2004).

He congratulated the Inductees and enjoined them to always stand tall in the practice of mining and geoscience profession in Nigeria in all its aspects and ramifications. More so, he enjoined them to strive hard in upholding the ethics of their profession as enshrined in the code of conduct of the Council.

The minister was represented by his senior assistant, Mr. Olu Adadayo.

On her part, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr. Oluwatoyin Akinlade, who was also represented at the occasion by the Director of Human Resources Management, Mr. Muhammad Suleiman, said the nation certainly look up to COMEG and other professional bodies within the Mining Sector to live up to high expectation of ensuring steady supply of professionals to drive the transformation of the Minerals and Metals Sector into leading employer of labour, foreign exchange earner and stabilizer of the Nation’s macro economy.

The chairman of COMEG, Dr. Godspower Ebimotimi Okpoi, in his remarks, informed the gathering that since the establishment of COMEG in 1990 and its inauguration in 2021, the Council has continued to discharge its responsibilities in accordance with its laws and as permitted by prevailing circumstances.