- as Registrar charges inductees on ethical practice
BY FRANCIS KADIRI
The Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists has inducted 195 individual members and 19 corporate members. The exercise brings the total number of professionals registered by COMEG to 3386 individual members and 225 corporate members.
At the ceremony which was held in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, described the induction as a momentous time in the journey of COMEG towards becoming the foremost regulator in the Nigerian Extractive Industry.
“I still recount with nostalgia all the laudable achievements of this Council in the life of the present administration, most of which are in tandem with Mr. President’s aspirations toward building a prosperous nation. These achievements are highly commendable and I doff my hat to COMEG Council led by the Chairman, Dr. Godspower Okpoi, and COMEG Management led by the Registrar, Prof. Zacheus Opafunso.”
The minister said “over these years, COMEG has consistently been a role model amongst other agencies under my watch especially in its quest to ensure professionalism at all times and make relevant professional practices lawful.”
“This singular objective led the Council towards re-introducing and re-energizing its Mandatory Professional Examination (MPE) in the year 2020 in line with Part IV Section 11 – (1) of the COMEG Act No. 40 of 1990 (now CAP C33 LFN 2004).”
He said as a result, Council’s subsisting reviews on examination best practices, birthed its first CBT-based (sit-in and online) examination being conducted in October and November, 2022 respectively, stating that it has also culminated into the colorful induction ceremony.
The Registrar and Chief Executive of COMEG, Prof. Zacheus Opafunso, who described the induction ceremony as unique, congratulated the new inductees and charged them to live up to expectation of Council by adhering strictly to the professional code of conduct in the practice of their professions.
While urging registreable members to endeavor to register with COMEG in line with the ethics of the profession, Prof Opafunso attributed the huge success of the 12th induction ceremony to the effective policy framework put in place by the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, adding that the recent approval of COMEG’s Professional Scale of Fees by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the ministerial introduction of the use of COMEG Digital Stamp to replace the old metallic seal are milestones that strengthen the regulatory acumen of the Council.
Opafunso, who also commended the Minister of State, Gbemisola Saraki and the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Oluwatoyin Akinlade for their commitment to the advancement of COMEG said, “In the last three three years, Council has made concerted efforts to promote and enshrine the sustenance of professionalism in the Nigerian Extractive industries,” adding that the efforts are geared towards enthroning a strong and virile COMEG in accordance with the relevant sections of the COMEG Act.
He said the effort re-invigorated the Mandatory Professional Examination (MPE) exercise as a standard requirement for membership registration prior to every induction ceremony.
While saying that only 152 candidates were allowed to participate in the COMEG CBT-based MPE in October, 2022, held in Abuja, Akure, Jos and Port-Harcourt Examination Centers, he added that 10 candidates participated in the Executive MPE in November, 2022 via online process, while 28 candidates participated in the various Executive Oral Interviews of the Council that spanned January till end of November, 2022.
The Registrar further explained that five candidates have been considered under provisional membership due to their inability to participate in Council’s Executive Oral Interview formally.
Discussing the statutory backing that established COMEG, Prof Opafunso said: “COMEG was established by Act No. 40 of 1990; now CAP C33 LFN 2004 to register, regulate and control the training and practices of relevant professionals in the Nigerian Extractive Industries,” stating that since inception, the role of COMEG as the foremost regulator in the Nigerian Extractive Industries has continued to evolve.
The registrar attributed the consistent success stories of the regulatory Council to the policy framework put in place by the Minister, stating that “Year 2022 Induction Ceremony is one of its kind as it marks the last for our indefatigable Honourable Minister of Mines and Steel Development (MMSD) and the first for the 6th Council of COMEG.
He explained that the Induction Ceremony as stipulated in Part IV Section 11 subject to the provisions of Section 9 of the COMEG Act makes it mandatory for all relevant professionals practicing for gains to be registered with the Council to make their professional practices lawful.
