By Silas Ezeora
The director-general, Nigeria Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, Engr Obadiah Simon Nkom, has received NANS’ Outstanding Leadership Award for his contributions to the mining sector and the economic development of the country.
At the brief event held at the MCO Headquarters in Abuja yesterday, Nkom told the student body that the innovations introduced in the mining sector were to create more job opportunities for youths in the country
According to him, with his reappointment in January this year, a clear mandate was established to enable transparency, accountability and ensure that revenue was maximized as he noted that since 2019 the MCO revenue has always surpassed the previous year’s own.
He said, “When you look at our revenue since 2019, we have always surpassed the previous year. During the COVID-19 in 2020, we were supposed to have shut down, but we still surpassed the previous year; even as I speak today even though we are in the middle of the year, we have surpassed last year’s revenue,” adding that government needs the internally generated revenue (IGR) to provide services to the masses.
He commended the Management and Staff of the MCO for its efforts in helping to achieve the required growth for the development of the sector and economy.
“It now bestows on me greater responsibilities, expectations, more work. I feel touched for this honour you have given to me and with the NANS, we can go through the journey together.”
He praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for showing concerns on the plights and well-being of the Nigerian students.
He also appreciated the executive of the National Association of Nigerian Students NANS for recognising his efforts to ensure the growth of the country’s economy through the MCO.
On his part, NANS national secretary, Usman Baba Kaikai, said that the MCO had contributed immensely to the economic growth and development of the country.
Kaikai said that NANS had come to identify with the leadership, management and staff of the MCO for the positive impact they had brought to the institution.
He said that the leadership of the apex body of Nigerian students at home and in the diaspora were impressed with the enablement of transparency and accountability the director-general had brought to the MCO.
He said, “How you have sanitised the institution and made it free of corruption and put up transparency and accountability, we are proud to associate with your stewardship and that is why we are here today to encourage you to continue to do more because whatsoever you are doing, you are not doing it for your personal self but you are doing it for the interest, growth and well-being of Nigeria.”
