From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Federal Government has launched Digital Stamp for the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) to reposition the Council in line with international best practices. Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite while launching the Digital Stamp in Abuja yesterday, said the innovation from COMEG was an historic and epoch-making event that would ensure that practitioners’ work are properly done.
Adegbite acknowledged the struggle, efforts and determination of COMEG under the leadership of Prof Zacheus Opafunso to succeed and equally appreciated the record/achievements of the Council, which he said has taken COMEG to an enviable height within a short period of time. The minister further stated that the Digital Stamp, which comes with practitioners’ name and registration number, will replace the old stamp. He told them that it was their responsibility to guard their stamps jealously and admonished them to always be above board and carry on their practice professionally. Adegbite announced that henceforth, any mining document without the Stamp of COMEG would not be recognised in the ministry and industry.
Speaking earlier, the COMEG Registrar, Prof. Zacheus Opafunso, said that the Launch of the Digital Stamp will surely differentiate between the authentic and fake Practitioners, as it will allow them to authenticate their reports. He appreciated the Minister for his consistent support of COMEG and expressed his hope that he will continue to do so as COMEG has a lot more in the offing to achieve.
“This innovation will help us in regulating the practices of practitioners in the country, making them authenticate their reports, as the issues of quackery in the sector will become a thing of the past,” he said. The event witnessed the distribution of some of the newly Launched Digital Stamps to some Mining Practitioners by the minister, while the participating audience watched the signing with rapt attention.