Worried by the rampant dishonest practices in the mining industry, the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) has called on the Federal Government to implement proper legislation that would discourage quackery in the sector.

President of the association, Prof. Akinade Olatunji, made the recommendation at a press briefing in Lagos, yesterday, to start the 252nd council meeting of the organisation.

He lamented that the absence of strong legal backing by the government has continued to allow unqualified persons to thrive in the sector.

He noted that a strategic partnership with knowledgeable experts in the mining sector would help the sector to fully harness and develop the abundant resources in the country for national development.

The don decried the non-recognition of the importance of geoscientist in tackling persistent building collapse.

According to him: “The construction sector is a multi-disciplinary sector with defined roles for defined professionals. There is none of the professionals in the construction and built environment sector that is not important or inferior to the other. It is the work of the engineering geologists to classify the type of subsurface materials on which the construction structure should be placed, be it road, dam, rail, or building. It is after they have done this that the engineers can start their own work.

“It is the best global practice to engage engineering geologists to run pre-construction soil tests to determine the suitability of the soil for construction and the type and depth of foundation that must be laid to hold the proposed structure.”

He added: “If Nigeria will be spared the attendant horror and painful lost of lives and properties associated with collapsed buildings, roads, and bridges, it must pay due attention to the contributions of the engineering geologists in the preconstruction investigations needed for such constructions.”

He, however, urged the government to partner with the relevant stakeholders to massively turn around the fortune of the country in the water sector.

He said: “It is a shame that a country with the humongous surface and groundwater resources can still not provide potable water for its citizens nor sufficient water resources for all year-round agriculture. It is a shame that rather than derive blessings from our numerous river systems, what we have is tale of woes yearly because of devastation from flooding.”