The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has urged the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) to strengthen practical training for young graduates to prepare them for professional roles in the country’s solid minerals industry.
Alake made the call on Monday in Abuja during the induction of the first cohort of the NGSA Post-NYSC Graduate Skills Capacity-Building Programme.
He said Nigeria’s mineral resources, including gold, lithium, iron ore, barite, limestone, lead-zinc and bitumen, could support economic diversification, industrial growth and job creation if the country developed the technical expertise required to explore and manage them.
Represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Faruk Yusuf Yabo, the minister commended the NGSA Director-General, Professor Olusegun Omoniyi Ige, and the agency’s management for introducing the programme.
He urged the selected graduates to use the training to develop skills in geological mapping, mineral exploration, geophysical and geochemical investigations, remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems, laboratory analysis and environmental sustainability.
Alake said the mining industry also offered opportunities beyond conventional employment, including entrepreneurship in mineral testing, exploration support, processing, environmental consultancy and mining technology.
“Do not see this training merely as an opportunity to earn another certificate. See it as the beginning of a professional journey,” he told the participants.
He encouraged the NGSA to sustain the initiative through partnerships with universities, research institutions, professional bodies and private-sector operators to improve practical exposure and employment opportunities for graduates.
Speaking at the event, Ige said the programme was introduced to address the gap between theoretical geological education and the practical experience required in the mining industry.
He recalled that his own university training offered limited exposure to geological fieldwork until his final year, adding that many graduates still leave school without sufficient experience in handling basic geological equipment.
According to him, the agency received nearly 500 applications before conducting a selection exercise to identify suitable candidates from the six geopolitical zones.
Ige urged the participants to take advantage of the expertise of facilitators, many of whom have between 30 and 35 years of field experience, and actively participate in the practical sessions.
He said the programme was intended to build technical competence and confidence, rather than simply provide another certificate.
The NGSA Director-General also disclosed that agency staff volunteered their time and expertise to facilitate the training without financial compensation.
He cited previous capacity-building efforts by the agency, including awards for outstanding university projects. One of the beneficiaries of the project awards later secured an internship at the NGSA and had spent more than six months gaining professional experience there.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, Engr. Obadiah Simon Nkom, represented by his Senior Assistant, Engr. Dauda Dingan Habila, said the training would strengthen the pool of geoscientists needed to support the administration of mineral titles.
Habila explained that applications for mineral titles, particularly exploration licences, require technical reports prepared and signed by qualified, professionally registered geoscientists or mining engineers.
He called on the ministry and the NGSA to extend the programme to mining engineering graduates, including those completing their National Youth Service Corps scheme.
Responding on behalf of the participants, Yakubu Nana thanked the ministry and NGSA leadership for the opportunity, pledging that the graduates would apply the skills acquired to support innovation and the development of Nigeria’s solid minerals and energy sectors.
