Speaking during his maiden visits to agencies of the ministry, the minister told the management of the Mining Cadastral Office that this would end the delay in processing applications that are smearing the image of the agency.
The Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Segun Tomori, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
Alake, who arrived at the Cadastral Office, lauded the efforts of the agency but stressed the need to do more in addressing public complaints.
In his welcome address, the Director-General, MCO, Obadiah Nkom, expressed delight in being the first agency to host the Minister.
Restating the functions of the agency as the issuer of mining licences, he revealed the MCO, in 2022, digitised its operations with an online platform called Electronic Mining Cadastral System.
According to him, though the new platform led to a significant rise in the number of applications, there have been delays in processing applications as a result of backlogs from the old system.
Nkom assured the minister that efforts are ongoing to fine-tune the processes and make them more efficient in collaboration with World Bank-assisted Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification, MinDiver.
Alake in his response, charged the agency to reverse the current perception of its operations.
“The public puts this agency in the prism of the entire ministry. Since I assumed office, 90% of all issues that have come to my table on the entire solid mineral activities have been connected to the MCO, whether complaints, commendations, infractions or otherwise.
“The issues around the multiplicity or duplicity of licences and perceived underhand dealings traceable to the agency must be addressed. The perception must change. We will not hesitate to wield the big stick where necessary If the agency does not reform itself,” Alake asserted.
At the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, the Director-General, Dr. Abdulrasak Garba, while welcoming the minister revealed that the agency has been pivotal to the generation of geoscientific research information for the development of the mining sector in line with its mandate.
He also said the NGSA has been in charge of the production of geological, geophysical, and geochemical maps of Nigeria, amongst other functions.
Garba cited funding constraints as a challenge, appealing for the minister’s intervention.
Alake, in his remarks, said that the functions of NGSA, aside from the mining sector cut across all sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, and industrial development, stressing it is akin to the foundation of developmental efforts of any nation.
“I must say you are doing a good job generating a lot of relevant data that are critical for informed decisions by decision-makers makers, entrepreneurs in all fields. I have gone through the literature submitted during my initial briefing, and I can see at a glance the functions that you do.
“I am quite glad that you have been living up to the billing and performing quite effectively but there is always room for improvement. These days of the paucity of funds, as you mentioned, it becomes imperative that we become genius in our creative endeavours.
“We must ask ourselves how to become independent. I see no reason why NGSA cannot be self-sustaining because what you generate is in demand,” the minister added.
At his last port of call, the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists, Alake, in his address to the Registrar, Prof. Zacheus Opafunsho, and his management team, likened the agency to a quasi-academic institute in view of its role of accrediting and certifying mining professionals, noting COMEG is assisting to ensure quality control in the mineral sector.
On funding challenges, the Minister assured of efforts to ensure the agency is captured in the budgetary allocation of the coming fiscal year but also urged the agency to look inward.
“While we do our own bit of ensuring you have budgetary provisions, it can never be enough. My advice is to be creative. Sit down with members of your team and think out of the box. One way is to increase your membership fees. Whoever does not pay, you have a restriction on them.
“On our own part, and henceforth, any report from the extractive industry or mining engineers that do not contain the COMEG stamp should not even be brought to my attention,”, the minister affirmed.
