WHY I MOVED FOR THE CREATION OF MINING/GEO-SCIENCES UNIVERSITY JOS – Senator Diket

By Shabul Mazadu

The Senator representing Plateau Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Diket Plang, has raised a bill which passed third reading in the Senate for the creation of a Federal University of Mining/Geo-Science in Jos, Plateau State capital.

Speaking to THE BEACON on why he raised the bill and moved for the creation of such university, Diket said the university which has been his dream for a long time for the good of Nigeria and the entire country, behooves him to do that based on the fact that the country Nigeria is endowed with bountiful assorted minerals resources which are unexplored by the citizens, but expatriates who take them to their country and make their best use.

Diket said Nigeria as a country should explore and exploit its mineral resources for the general good of the citizens to avoid being exploited. He said, “When you have a mineral deposit and you don’t study it, you don’t have the capacity to exploit it and you don’t have the capacity to process it yourself, you will be cheated. And therefore, you need to know what you have, you need to know how to explore the level of the reserve and then you need to know how to process and market it.” 

In doing such he went on, was the spur that motivated Ghana into establishing University of Mines in Takwa.

The Senator lamented at the rate at which Chinese go round villages seeking mineral deposits for mining and exporting to their countries at the detriment of the country, saying the lack of knowledge and skills in exploring our mineral deposits leaves us at the receiving end always.

According to him, the knowledge of mining is vital as can be seen from the colonialists who came and established schools of mining in Jos to train the locals who assisted them in mining activities in the state as they did in Ghana and India.

Diket added that there is no Mining university in the entire country despite the abundance of mineral resources in various states of the federation, saying the country has Universities of Agriculture and Petroleum because of their huge presence and potentialities which is good; and that it will be excellent if mining university is added.

On why he chose Jos as the University site, Plang said there is the Geo-Science institute which has learning facilities and all that is required is its conversion to a university. He said, “Our (Geo-Science school) was only upgraded to the status of an institute by parliamentary Act during President Obasanjo period. The Act was legislated in 2018, so the status of the school turned into an Institute. Now, it is the highest mining institute in the country, hence there is the need for us to repeal the law establishing the institute and make it Nigerian First University of Mining/Geo-Sciences.

“Siting the University in Jos is advantageous to the Federal Government because there are already sites and structures. The Institute of Geo-Mining has a campus at Dong, where they have a factory for processing and polishing jewels. They have a Medical Centre; they have a hostel that can accommodate offices and campus. Then you have the Tudun Wada Site where you have very high technical laboratories with most of the equipment sponsored by World Bank; and people around come to test minerals in the place. And you have classrooms, and let me tell you they are offering Post Graduates courses. Then you have the West of Mines where minerals are being processed and separated too. So, automatically there is place to start the university in Plateau.

“The institute is headed by a Metrology Professor and has sufficient academic and non-academic staff. So, it becomes cheaper for the government to start a University on the Plateau.”

Plang expressed elation on the massive support given to by stakeholders and fellow legislators from Plateau during the public hearing on the bill which he said was the largest of its kind; and asserted that the bill was his second since the inception of the 10th Assembly which he is a first timer.

He further promised to attract more institutions, agencies of government, empowerment of constituents and refurbishing schools by fencing and lightening them with solar.

Commenting on the benefits of creating the Mining/Geo-Science University, pundits opine that Nigerians will have the knowledge of the minerals and their uses and would attract investors into the country, stem influx of expatriates for exploitation, boost exportation which will appreciate the naira, create more jobs and raise the GDP, develop Jos the more and boost the revenue drive of the state and the country at large.