The Federal Government says it is set to unlock the potential in jobs, sustainable tourism, peace in host communities, and international research funding through Nigeria’s geo-heritage sites.

Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the UNESCO International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGGP) Nigeria National Committee (NNC), led by its Chairman, Dr. Aminu Abdullahi Isyaku, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“Our doors are open for collaboration with stakeholders, especially state governments. This country is blessed, and all hands must be on deck to make it work,” the Vice President stated.

Shettima stressed that “it is better late than never” to tap into the economic and developmental value of geo-heritage, noting that the President Bola Tinubu administration had already begun “changing the narrative” across sectors, from the economy and culture to agriculture, education, and diplomacy.

He commended the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, for their contributions to safeguarding geo-heritage sites.

He also welcomed IGGP’s alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda in areas such as climate resilience, geo-hazards, hydro-geology, and geo-dynamics.

Earlier, Dr. Isyaku sought Federal Government backing to compile a national inventory and mapping of geo-heritage sites and complete ongoing geoscience projects.

He noted that establishing Nigeria’s national committee 50 years after the global IGGP was a milestone that firmly placed the country within the international geoscience framework.

Also present at the meeting were Prof. Olusegun Ige, Director-General of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and Secretary of UNESCO IGGP NNC; Uba Saidu Malami, President of the Geological Society of Nigeria; Dr. Olagunju Lateef, Secretary-General of NATCOM UNESCO; Mrs. Grace Okpala, Director of the National Geoscience Information Centre; Dr. Ganiyu Mosuro, Co-Founder of DigGeoNaija; and Mr. Ishaku Muhd Ganu, Deputy Director in the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, among others.