It is mandatory for miners to adhere to Mining regulations and any other extant mining laws like that of the Council of Nigeria Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG), Ministry of Mine and Steel Development (MMSD) stated.
The Minister Mine and Steel Development Arc. Mohammed Sada, while receiving the presentation of the year 2013 Annual Report and Audited Accounts of COMEG from the Chairman of the council, Chambers Oyibo, who led other council members to the ministry, said 600 mining licenses were revoked by the federal government as a result of non-compliance with the relevant laws guiding mining operations in the country.
Sada lauded the council for fulfilling the requirements of the law that established COMEG, urging other agencies of government to emulate them.
“Present administration had seen the need for human capital development as one of the requirements of Nigeria’s extractive industries in line with the Transformation Agenda of this administration. No matter how much mineral resources a country has, if it doesn’t have the right human skills, the country will not develop. The country needs the right knowledge and idea for the minerals and metals sector to develop optimally.”
The Chairman COMEG Chambers Oyibo stated that the presentation of the year 2013 Annual Report and Audited Accounts of COMEG was in compliance with the provision of COMEG Act part (11) Financial Provision, section 7(3) requiring the council to prepare and submit to the minister, Annual Report and Audited Accounts of COMEG.
Oyibo explained that the monitoring and evaluation of mining professionals and operators in some geo-political zones of the country were carried out to sensitise them on the need to register with COMEG, adding that the exercise revealed that most mining companies have not registered with COMEG as a corporate body and do not have COMEG registered mining professionals in their employment to undertake mining operations.
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