The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has urged the Federal Government to encourage diversification into gold mining and ensure adequate security at mining sites across the country.
The president of the society, Margaret Oguntala, made the appeal on Thursday in Ilesa, Osun State, at the 4th Distinguished Lecture and inauguration of the new executives of the Ilesa branch of the organisation.
Oguntala, who was represented by Oluwaseun Adeyeye, said gold mining has significant potential to positively impact the economy and urged the Federal Government to encourage more people to invest in the sector.
The NSE president highlighted the risks of mining in an insecure environment, warning that such conditions could lead to kidnapping and killings.
She said, “The major challenge that we have in this country is that we normally focus on one business. However, there is a lot of money in gold mining.
“It requires experience and significant capital to execute. Our government should encourage more people to diversify into gold mining.
“In this area of mining, security is crucial. There is no way you can mine in a place if there is no security. Such a situation will lead to kidnapping and a lot of killings in the area.”
Speaking after he was sworn in as chairman of the Ilesa branch of the society, Chukwuma Ugah urged miners in Osun State and prospective investors to employ the services of Nigerian engineers.
Ugah, who promised that his administration would prioritise members’ welfare and professional development, said, “We have Nigerian engineers with the know-how, we have people with the experience to do it. People who want to invest in mining should look inward and make use of our engineers.
“We are going to carry everybody along. Everyone’s input is important to ensure that we work together to achieve our goals. Their professional life and professional development are also very important, and that is an area we will also focus on.”
Delivering a lecture titled ‘Engineering and Operations Management in the Mining Industry’, the Deputy General Manager of Segilola Resources Limited, Engr. Olusola Olusomidomo, called for responsible mining to encourage foreign investment in the sector.
Olusomidomo said miners needed to move away from irresponsible mining and environmental degradation towards sustainable practices.
He stated, “There is a way you can mine responsibly and ensure that both lives and the environment are protected, and that is what we stand for in my organisation.
“I also want our participants to begin to change their mindset. We need to move from mining irresponsibly and degrading the environment to sustainable mining, encouraging other miners to come into the country. As long as we mine irresponsibly, it gives a very bad impression to other investors considering entering the country.”
The call by Oguntala came amid assurances by the Federal Government to strengthen security across mining sites nationwide.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, assured Nigerians that ongoing plans to boost the capacity of the Mining Marshals would further rid the country of illegal miners.
Addressing participants of Course 34 of the Nigerian Defence College, Abuja, on the assessment of the solid minerals value chain and its impact on economic growth, Alake said the Mining Marshals have fulfilled their mandate as an enforcement agency for the sector.
He added that scaling up their logistical strength, including vehicles, equipment, and weaponry, would expand the agency’s operations to all 774 local government areas, improving the security of mines and miners.
