Engineer Dr Obadiah Simon Nkom was first appointed as the director general/chief executive officer, Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, NMCO, Abuja on January 12, 2019. His leadership acumen earned him another four-year term, which began on January 12, 2023. Under his watch, the NMCO recorded 86% increase in revenue generation, raking in over N8.9 billion between 2019 and 2021 against N4.8 billion generated previously. This accounts for about 50% of the contribution of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to the federation account.
Dr. Nkom recently unveiled robust and reforms in the automation of the Mining Cadastre system which has revolutionised online the administration and excellent management of his mandate. He is taking the agency to enviable heights and he deserves support from well-meaning Nigerians as well as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to enable the workaholic engineer continue his good works, including the huge contributions of the agency to the development of the nation’s economy.
It is also to the credit of Nkom that during his first term, as amplified by the then President Muhammadu Buhari, NMCO was named the best agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria in the category of Digital Innovation Awards for 2022 under the auspices of Nigeria internet Registration Association (NIRA).
Analysts and stakeholders have described Nkom as a man with the magic wand to turnaround the agency. The success story of the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office will be incomplete without Nkom’s selfless service to the nation.
Good leaders the world over are known for their eloquence, steadfastness, vision, sincerity of purpose and, above all, selfless service to humanity. Engineer Nkom is a precision of all the qualities of a technocrat the world is yearning for. Unarguably, the NMCO director general has performed creditably since taking over the mantle of leadership of the agency.
Indeed, stakeholders are showering encomiums and awards on him for his sterling performance including enhanced revenue generation in the agency.
One thing men of clout have in common is their taciturnity. Most goal getters do their thing without blowing the rooftop with praise singing. For Nkom, it has been a success story since his appointment in 2019.
The success of NMCO is anchored on the virtues of probity, transparency and excellent managerial acumen demonstrated by its helmsman, Engineer Nkom. The reality on ground seems unbelievable and even unachievable but to Nkom, it is no big deal.
Today, Nkom is doing exceptionally well. It is on the backdrop of this reality that I am writing this – to amplify the achievements of the current management of NMCO. Notable achievement by the agency under the erudite and dynamic director general is the massive expansion, which witnessed the creation of zonal offices in the six geo-political zones of the country. The offices are located in Kaduna, Jos, Ibadan, Benin, Maiduguri, among others.
He has also migrated all the agency’s activities to an online platform called eMC Plus for transparency and efficient service delivery to the public. Unfortunately, there is vast number of remarkable men and women who have carved a niche for themselves in their respective endeavours, but these people are rarely recognised and celebrated. Many have refused to make headlines while some, by omission or commission, have been sidelined. Nkom is in the latter category of venerated personalities. Nkom has made positive reforms that have placed NMCO as one of the best performing federal government’s agencies in Nigeria.
Nkom is doing everything humanly possible to make the mining industry more attractive to investors while enhancing collaborative endeavours as necessary ingredients for creating conducive business environment for numerous mineral deposits in Nigeria. This has gone a long way to show-case the director general’s preparedness and veracity to reposition the agency in the mining industry in Nigeria.
It is in realisation of these critical deliverables that a holistic automation process, through information technology and infrastructure deployment to enhance global competitiveness of the mining industry were put in place by Nkom who has served as the 30th President of Nigerian Mining and Geo-Science Society (NMGS).
Judging from the director general’s robust knowledge and technical know-how in the mining industry, one can safely say that under Nkom’s watch, NMCO would certainly witness a monumental turnaround for optimal performance. Nkom’s zeal for service to fatherland is demonstrated by his robust base in the regulatory arm of the oil and gas industry. Stakeholders are comfortable with his style of leadership and administrative acumen.
NMCO was established to independently administer mineral titles to those who want to invest in the sector. It plays pivotal role in Nigeria’s economic diversification, which is achievable under Nkom.
Our beloved President Tinubu should rest assured that the mission and vision of the NMCO will be fully achieved as Nkom and his management team have proved their capability to deliver on the agency’s mandate. An administrator par excellence, Nkom is patriotic, selfless, humble, and a team player. It subscribes to the philosophy that managers should at all times be exemplary.
Eibo, a media and communication specialist, writes from Kaduna via [email protected]
