June 25, (THEWILL) – The Managing Director of HENSEK Integrated Services, Engineer Uwem Okoko, has said the civil engineering sector cannot succeed in its operations without Geoscientists, saying that the collaboration produces quality constructions that meet the standards of the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO).
Okoko said this when members of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS), led by its President, Prof. Akinade Olatunji, paid him a courtesy visit in his office along Ring Road 111, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, at the weekend.
Being the flagship construction company in Akwa Ibom State, the HENSEK MD noted that all his construction works were subjected to proper inspection and necessary professional interventions by NMGS representatives in the state.
He, however, urged federal and state governments in Nigeria to have faith in indigenous construction companies, noting that the huge industrial revolution in Akwa Ibom State was achieved using indigenous companies across the country, adding that even the raw materials were sourced locally.
In his speech, the President of the NMGS, Prof. Akinade Olatunji, thanked HENSEK MD for appreciating the services of the body, saying that it is evident in the quality of road construction delivered by the company.
Prof. Akinade stressed the need for adequate funding of mines offices with qualified staff and logistics to check the menace of illegal mining in the country.
The NMGS President, who said they were in the state to mark the 255th Council Meeting of the society, regretted that activities of illegal miners in the country have affected the economy and caused environmental degradation of the nation and should not be allowed to continue.
He disclosed that Akwa Ibom State has the best silicon in the world and stressed the need for proper funding and equipping of all federal mines offices across the federation with logistics vehicles to reach all remote areas to harness such natural chemical deposits for profit making.
“Illegal mining does not take place in the city centres but in the remote areas with very little or no motorable roads and for you to monitor, you need personnel who are qualified, motivated, energised and well-regulated.
“Federal mines offices are supposed to be equipped with vehicles and personnel. They are supposed to have sufficient running costs to do the job, but the reverse is the case.
“Most of the mines offices are poorly staffed. In fact, this is one of the biggest problems we have been shouting about, they are poorly staffed.
“For a Government to be talking seriously of curbing illegal mining, they need to increase the staff strength of the mining inspectorate units.
“One of the things we are pushing is that the staff in that unit should be treated like those in the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on a separate salary scale because when people are properly regulated, they will surely do the work well.
“The government must stop paying lip service to stopping illegal mining activities in the country but should fund the mining offices properly.
“As a society, we frown at illegal mining because it denies the nation revenue, denies our people jobs and also devastates the environment.
“If illegal mining is not curtailed, we will continue to see vast wasteland not useful for any other thing,” Olatunji said.
