House committee pledges improved funding for MCO

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

The House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals pledged on Tuesday to provide adequate funding for the Mining Cadastral Office (MCO) to strive in the industry.

The Chairman, Jonathan Gaza, made this promise when he led members of the committee for an oversight visit to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

He commended the agency’s contribution to the national GDP, saying that more would have been achieved if they are adequately funded.

“So I want to assure you, that’s one of the reasons we started our oversight with the agencies before meeting a parent regulator who is a minister. Now we’re going to make a very strong case for MCO to make sure that funds are adequately provided for MCO to thrive. So, I believe it is something that should be done,” Gaza stressed.

Gaza urged the agency to be proactive in its activities and prioritize the welfare of the staff to discourage illegalities and sharp practices in the sector.

“So in order to discourage short, sharp practices in the system, it is very necessary that the staff and the environment is well incentivized” he added.

“We will push strong forward, very strongly before the Minister tomorrow to make sure that MCO actually becomes an institution of utmost service delivery, not just ICT, which most of your wards are in, but equally in other areas.”

Speaking earlier, the Director-General of the Nigeria Mining Cadastral Office, NMCO, Mr. Simon Obadiah Nkom, stated that the agency is working tirelessly with the NEITI, EFCC, and others to make sure the activities of the agency are transparent and appreciated the committee for its commitment to driving the growth of the sector.

“We have signed a memorandum of understanding with the EFCC, DSS, NEITI and others to ensure that title holders are not into any fraudulent activities” Nkom emphasized.

He therefore seek the support of the committee to improve the budget of the agency for a better running of the agency’s activities.

“A small collection for the agency will help in the running of its activities after generating over 40 per cent of the sectoral revenue. Our budget is too low in terms of appropriation, and we seek the committee’s support for improvement,” he said.