Ministry of Mines sensitises Oyo State residents on airborne geophysical survey

The Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has embarked on an airborne geophysical survey involving the use of low-flying aircraft. The ministry has therefore asked residents in the communities where the survey will be carried out not to panic on sighting the low-flying aircraft that will be used for the survey in respective states across the country.

This was the message Abba Adamu Usman, the Deputy Project Coordinator, Mindiver, came to deliver when he and the team from the ministry embarked on a sensitisation tour on the planned geophysical survey in Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday.

Mindiver is a World Bank project domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, built to actualise the 2016 development roadmap for the solid minerals sector.

The team visited the offices of the Oyo State Minerals Development Agency, and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, to sensitise the people of the state on the planned geophysical survey; the team also visited Akinyele Local Government on Thursday.

Explaining the reason for the survey, Usman explained that the roadmap indicated that investment in Nigeria’s solid minerals space was being hindered by the lack of credible geoscience data. “This activity is one of the activities designed to fill that gap.”

He said the survey essentially “is data acquisition that will be done by an aircraft.”

Usman said the selected areas for the survey are proof of concept investment.

“These are areas identified to be covered by active mineral titles. The data provided will assist those title owners with detailed information about the availability of some of these minerals,” he said.

The Deputy Project Coordinator added that the survey will de-risk investment and allow investors to decide quickly because they now have better information on the availability and spread of minerals.

Donatus Uba Umaru, the Zonal Mines Officer in charge of SouthWest said, “Due to the current state of insecurity people get agitated easily. The plane will fly very low. We want people in the communities to be aware so that they will not be afraid or panic, and so that the exercise will achieve the desired result.”

He said some of the local governments to be covered in Oyo State include Akinyele, Lagelu, Egbeda, Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South among others.

He added that similar sensitisation programmes are being carried out in other concerned states in the SouthWest.

The exercise is expected to commence in the third week of June. It will take place in all geopolitical zones of the country where data solid minerals are required.

Speaking on the planned survey, Executive Chairman of the Oyo State Mineral Development Agency, Mr Abiodun Oni said, “It is gratifying to see the ministry walking the talk. This is one of the steps that will bring development to the sector.”

He said with the ministry’s sensitisation and enlightenment on the survey any fears among the people will be allayed.

The team from the ministry will visit local governments in the Ogbomoso axis on Friday.

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