Mining reports made by the Nigerian professional geoscientists are not given global recognition by financial institutions for funding.
This position was made known by Gbenga Okunlola, a professor of geology at the University of Ibadan and a fellow of Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS).
According to Okunlola, geoscience reports on minerals in Nigeria are usually not acceptable by financial institutions and mining consultants in Europe and America, a situation which he described as embarrassing.
“Only a handful of professionals in Nigeria can successfully write reports that could be considered for funding in the mining industry by foreign stock exchanges such as Canadian, Australian, Johannesburg stock exchanges,” Okunlola noted.
He said such rejection comes because nearly all the geoscientists in Nigeria do not belong to the internationally recognised regulatory organisations.
“They (foreign stock exchanges) do not recognise anyone that does not belong to the global reporting professional organisations such as JORC, CRIRSCO,” he said.
“They will not regard you as a competent person, even as a professor,” he said.
Even back home, the discrimination continues.
Okunlola lamented that government has equally neglected the professional body by always appointing non-geoscientist to head the ministry of mines.
“Has any of us been appointed as a minister? No, most of the people who are now in the mining industry, holding the licenses, are not even professional geoscientists,” he lamented
Despite their contributory efforts to the mining industry in Nigeria, geoscientists professionals continue to be rejected both by foreign countries as well as Nigerian government.
Okunlola said geoscientists in Nigeria want inclusiveness locally.
For this reason, the geoscientists in Nigeria under the aegis of Nigerian Mining and Geoscience Society (MNGS) met and developed mining road maps for government. Yet, government has not deemed it fit to appoint one of them as the minister of mines.
“We need to include the professionals at the governance level; we need professionals at the execution level too. Employ these competent persons into the ministries,” Okunlola appealed.
Unlike what is obtainable in health and justice ministries, Okunlola pointed out that geoscientist professionals are not being regarded while considering appointment into the mining ministry. Non-professionals are being appointed to head the ministry.
“It is not like that with the medical people. A medical doctor or pharmacist will always be a health minister. The same thing with the attorney general of the federation. This is a knowledge industry for geoscientists. They must also take charge,” he said.
Also, international miners such as Barrick, Astra, Newsmont and Mitsubishi Materials do not see Nigeria as a mining country.
According to experts, investors also see Nigeria as an oil nation only, rather than a country with strong solid minerals potential, as they prefer countries such as South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, known to have developed mining infrastructure.
JOSEPH MAURICE OGU
