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Tag: Obadiah Simon Nkom

  • Tinubu’s digital drive boosts mining cadastre revenue to over N30bn — Nkom

    Tinubu’s digital drive boosts mining cadastre revenue to over N30bn — Nkom

    The Director-General of the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO), Obadiah Simon Nkom, has commended the digital governance drive of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration, saying it has repositioned Nigeria’s mining sector.

    Nkom said the policy thrust and other reforms introduced by the federal government have led to a dramatic increase in the agency’s revenue, from N12 billion to over N30 billion within the last year.

    He made this known in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday to announce the launch of the MCO OneGov Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS).

    According to him, the OneGov ECMS is an intelligent, sovereign digital platform designed to eliminate paperwork, enhance document security, streamline workflows, and improve service delivery across the country.

    The MCO boss noted that the cadastre office is the first agency to fully deploy the system, describing the development as a major milestone for the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the Mining Cadastre Office, and Nigeria as a whole.

    “We are here today to acknowledge the government’s commitment and to advance policies that move our nation forward. This event represents a bold leap in Nigeria’s digital transformation,” he said.

    Tracing the evolution of the Mining Cadastre Office, Nkom explained that the agency began its digital transition over three years ago, culminating in its full migration to an online system on November 1, 2025.

    “When we talk about digital transformation, we must remember that the Mining Cadastre Office began its journey over three years ago. It was on November 1, 2025, that we migrated to an online system. But migrating online is not enough; we must now ensure full alignment with government policies, especially the transition to a paperless system. The real task is ensuring full alignment with government policy, particularly the transition to a paperless system across the public service,” he said.

    Nkom also commended the minister’s seven-point agenda, saying it had accelerated reforms in the sector and delivered measurable outcomes.

    “These are not mere statements. The indicators are clear. The pace of progress since the Honourable Minister assumed office has been astronomical,” Nkom said.

    He also praised the leadership at the ministry, including the Permanent Secretary, who was recently appointed Chairman of Permanent Secretaries for the OneGov Cloud Programme and the Electronic Content Management System.

    According to him, the ministry’s performance was further recognised when it emerged with a gold medal at the recent Head of Service exhibition for best-performing agency.

    Nkom explained that the government’s paperless drive was anchored on the .ng domain, which he described as one of the most secure in the world and the backbone of the .gov cloud infrastructure.

    Highlighting the MCO’s role in Nigeria’s digital governance push, he recalled that in 2022, the agency beat heavyweight institutions such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigerian Communications Commission, and the National Pension Commission to win the Nigerian Internet Registration Association award for Best Innovation and Digitalisation Agency.

    “Many people had never heard of the Mining Cadastre Office until then. Even at the finals, there was shock when MCO was announced the winner. That recognition aligned strongly with the .ng initiative,” he said.

    On revenue performance, the MCO DG said the sector had recorded unprecedented growth in recent years.

    “In 2023, we celebrated N6.7bn in revenue, up from about ₦4bn the previous year. When the Honourable Minister came on board, the figure rose to ₦12bn. Today, we have generated over N30bn,” Nkom stated.

    He attributed the surge to stricter enforcement, operational efficiency, and the minister’s no-nonsense approach to compliance.

    “I remember when the minister said, ‘Either you ship in, or you ship out.’ That sent a clear signal. If you do your work, you get full support. That is why we have seen firm actions, including revocations where necessary,” he added.

    Nkom said that, beyond revenue, the MCO had earned multiple recognitions, including the Bureau of Public Service Reforms’ award for digitalization in 2023 and commendations from the Code of Conduct Bureau.

    He assured that the agency would continue to build on the reforms, saying the achievements so far were a motivation to do more.

    “We profoundly appreciate the Honourable Minister’s leadership. It inspires us to work harder, knowing there is still room for improvement,” he said.

    The mining sector has been identified by the federal government as a key pillar for economic diversification, with reforms aimed at improving transparency, boosting investor confidence, and increasing non-oil revenue.

  • ‘Revocation, crack down on impostors to sanitise mining sector’

    ‘Revocation, crack down on impostors to sanitise mining sector’

    To promote transparency, accountability, and good governance in the mining sector, the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) and the anti crime agency – Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) have agreed to collaborate together.

    Decision to this effect was reached during a courtesy visit by the MCO Director General, Engr. Obadiah Simon Nkom to the EFCC Zonal Director,  Michael Wetkas in Abuja.

    A statement by the MCO Head of Press, Patrick Chika Osuji in Abuja on Thursday indicated that the visit was aimed at fostering a robust partnership between the two agencies, leveraging their respective expertise to promote transparency, accountability, and good governance in the mining sector through intelligence sharing, and capacity building.

    The MCO boss was quoted to have emphasized the importance of collaboration in combating economic and financial crimes in the mining sector, ensuring a secure and compliant operating environment for stakeholders.

    He said the visit was in alignment with the MCO’s efforts to enhance its operations and services, building on its successes in digitizing mineral title administration and improving revenue generation.

    Ikom maintained that with the collaboration, his office seeks to further promote transparency and accountability in the mining sector and to form a united front against illicit activities that undermine the sector’s potential and integrity.

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    Assuring the solid minerals sector of the anti graft agency readiness to support the sanitization of the industry, EFCC Zonal Director, Mr.Wetkas, highlighted the importance of the sector to Nigeria’s economic future.

    He appealed for greater government attention to the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development due to the vast mineral deposits across the country.

    He said EFCC was ready to collaborate and closely work together with MCO to create sanity in the system.

    “For the DG of MCO to come to the EFCC to seek collaboration and discuss openly speaks volumes about the transparency and accountability the agency is promoting,” Wetkas commended.

    He affirmed EFCC’s readiness to partner with MCO in restoring “sanity and order” within the system.

    The management team of both agencies described the visit as long-awaited and expressed optimism that the renewed collaboration will yield tangible results for the country’s mining sector.