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To posit that the Nigerian oil revenue is no longer self-sustaining is to sing an old song, just as is the need for further diversification of the economy.

While agriculture remains a pivotal sector in this regard and continues to contribute hugely towards the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, the solid minerals sector continues to be one sector where experts agree has not been optimally harnessed and utilized in terms of exploitation cum development.

The solid minerals sector has, however, been witnessing increased interest in investment by both local and foreign investors as available statistics show that Nigeria currently has over 44 known types of minerals of varying mixes and different quantities, all spread across the country.

Despite these huge potentials, mining in Nigeria, over the years, has been at a very very low scale, done by relatively small entrepreneurs, unlicensed and unskilled individuals, who paid little or no regard to environmental degradation, abuse and pollution.

Even at this, the most challenging issue to the solid minerals sector has been the dominance of the oil sector, as dictating the tune, the sector has held others spell bound – controlling unfortunately the pace and direction other minerals got developed or mined having played the goose laying the golden egg over the years.

To achieve this potential of the solid minerals sector, however, the Federal Government in its Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017 to 2020, emphatically outlined the solid minerals sector as one of its potential growth sectors as its contribution though minimal pushed up the nation’s GDP from N52 Billion in 2010 to N103 billion in 2015. Of these figures, while coal mining nipped a seven percent stake, quarrying and other mining accounted for 89 per cent.

In this pursuit towards harnessing this potential, the Federal Government has developed a roadmap for the industry, a move many stakeholders have not only described as perfect but pertinent.

Poised to achieve and implement this noble objective is the Director General of the Mining Cadastre Office, Engr Simon Obadiah Nkom, FNISE, whose responsibility it is to take Nigeria’s mining sector to the next level.

Fired up, Engr. Nkom, taking the bull by the horn has surprisingly generated N9.384 billion within a period of three years as while N2.580 billion was generated for the federation account in 2019, it surpassed the 2019 revenue in 2020 despite the pandemic, remitting N2.303 billion to the nation’s coffers.

Not relenting, from January to May 2021, a total of N2.016 billion was further raked in while December 31, 2021, the revenue generated rose to N4.3 billion, which was the highest revenue generated ever in the financial history of the Cadastre office.

“There is an increase in Mineral Title Application submission, increased revenue generation – N4.301 billion, organizational growth – establishment, and operationalisation of MCO offices in the six geo-political zones of the country.

“We are currently collaborating more closely with other departments and agencies of the Ministry (MID, MEC, ASM, NGSA among others), specifically Mines Inspectorate Department Job creation. A total of 38 staff were employed in the upgrade of the SIGTIM software to the web-base Online Mineral Title Administration and Management system – eMC+Activation and Integration of e-Recording and Archiving of Mineral Title documents,” Engr Nkom was quoted as saying.

Lending his voice to the diversification call, Nkom, urged the federal government to rethink and concentrate on solid minerals as its central focus in diversifying the economy in the bid to boost revenue, moreso as the price of oil fluctuates regularly.

“With about 44 minerals, there is a need to invest in accurate data gathering in order to attract the right investors to the solid minerals sector. The concern of the MCO is to be able to imbibe transparency, security of tenure and non-subjectivity, all towards attracting the needed investments in the sector”, Nkom reiterated.

Starting in the 80’s when he cut his teeth as a brilliant mining Engineer in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, Nkom distinguished himself as one of the finest young officers of the Ministry of mines and Steel.

Nkom’s cutting edge ideas since assuming the head of the Cadastre Office has been quintessentially remarkable culminating in his agency being awarded the Distinctive Innovative I.T Development Parastatal in Nigeria, trouncing other Á’grade counterparts in tech drive such as PenCom, FIRS, FRSC,NCC, CAC etc as it stood out as the best at the 2022 NIRA (Nigeria Internet Registration Association of Nigeria) awards in Lagos tagged ‘Digital Innovation of the FGN, 2022’.

This recognition seems to be the driving force in Nkom’s developmental initiative for the solid mineral sector having been galvanized into a fast paced IT agency that basically connects with the world in all spheres of solid minerals mining from information acquisition , registration, to detailed geological and analytical surveys.

Pursuing a youthful zeal for technology and gems, Nkom followed his dream of studying mining, thus establishing himself in Nigeria’s mining industry and the world at large.

With a Post Graduate Diploma in Mining Engineering from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, an MBA and PGD in Management from the University of Maiduguri, an HND in Mining Engineering from the Kaduna Polytechnic, amongst possession of certifications in Geo-database, Geographical Information Systems, both from Houston (USA), Spatial Data Handling (Netherlands), Public Administration (Maiduguri) Mining and Metallurgy, MINETEC (Japan) and others, Nkom seems clearly to be the square peg in the square hole needed to deliver FG’s solid minerals development road map initiative.

For Nkom who is currently the 30th President of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) and also member of numerous professional bodies, all eyes are on him as expectations and optimism to succeed and break even more records have never been this high by Nigerians.