By Gabriel Ewepu, Abuja

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, yesterday, assured that the solid minerals sector will be basically driven by bankable data.

Alake, who was represented by the Director, Human Resources, in the Ministry, Mohammed Suleiman, gave the assurance while at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, NGSA, Technical Forum in Abuja, where he pointed out that without data, the sector would be incapacitated.

According to him, the NGSA plays a very prominent role in the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of the Tinubu-led administration, and he added that without bankable data from the agency, there won’t be any meaningful achievement in the sector.

He said: “The Ministry holds the NGSA in very high esteem because the agency plays a very prominent role in the renewed hope agenda of the present administration, which emphasises the need to take the solid minerals sector to greater heights.

“We in the Ministry are proud of the achievements of the agency to date and believe we can build on the achievements.”

Earlier, in an address of welcome, the Director General, NGSA, Dr Abdulrazaq Garba, explained what the agency has done to provide reliable data that has attracted investors and the prominent roles it has to play in providing relevant and up-to-date geoscience information necessary for the economic development of Nigeria under the Tinubu-led administration.

Garba also maintained that geoscience information remains critical and crucial to growing and developing the solid minerals sector in order to bring the present administration’s vision and policies for the sector to fruition as far as diversification of the economy is concerned.

“Geoscience information is crucial for the progress and development of the mining industry, which is critical to the achievement of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda of economic diversification through the development of the solid minerals sector.

“The Agency is therefore adopting and integrating innovative technology for data acquisition, data integration, modelling, and predictive geoscience.

“Geological surveys all over the world develop and adopt systems and structures adapted and tailored to the peculiarities and needs of the nation,” he said.

Meanwhile, he added that the mandate of various geological surveys, both in developed and developing economies, have grown from basic geological mapping and resource assessment to earth systems monitoring and integrated data management as a strategy to enhance national security and development.

“The geological surveys are quickly evolving in order to cater for the expected increase in demand for a wide and diverse set of stakeholders.”

“We are strengthening our focus and resolve to generate qualitative data that will meet the requirements of all relevant stakeholders in the sector, with activities that are geared towards the diversification of the national economy,” he said.

In a goodwill message, the Director General, Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, NMCO, Obadiah Nkom, commended the contribution of NGSA to national development, adding that NMCO would continue to collaborate with the agency.