The geological survey bill
SIR: I hereby appeal to the leadership of the National Assembly, the Senate and the House Committee on Solid Minerals and the entire members of the legislature to please pass the Geological Survey Agency of Nigeria Bill, which has been with the National Assembly for over three years, without further delay.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, in his covering note to the bill to the Senate President dated March 16, 2001, noted among others that the agency shall "explore and develop the abundant solid minerals resources in the country in order to reduce the nation's over-dependence on petroleum resources". It is, therefore, disheartening that the bill is still at the Senate Public Hearing stage three years after its receipt by the National Assembly.
The President has, at different fora, talked so much about his determination to explore and develop our abundant solid minerals deposits as an alternative source of foreign exchange earning. We have read and heard so much about the need to explore and develop our solid minerals deposits from Hon. Ogbuefi Ozonigbachi, the House Committee Chairman on Solid Minerals and Senator (Capt) Cosmas G. Niaguran, his Senate counterpart. Ironically, the bill that will facilitate this policy "The bill for an Act to Establish the Geological Survey Agency of Nigeria" is still lying on the desk of the Solid Minerals Committee of the Senate weeks after public hearing on the bill has been concluded.
The last session (1999-2003) of the Senate passed the bill to the House for final consideration and passage but the Alhaji Ghali Na�aba-led House of Representatives failed to pass the bill before May 29, 2003. This failure invalidated the earlier efforts of the Senate hence the need for the Upper House to reconsider it. President Obasanjo, because of his determination and in anticipation of the passage of the bill, appointed a Director-General for the Agency last year who has since assumed duties.
I therefore, call on the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chairmen of Solid Minerals Committees to put heads together and ensure immediate passage of this important bill. The director-general is waiting, the geologists in the ministry are anxious and those of us who are stakeholders are begging, because we know that Nigeria will be better for it when the bill is passed and subsequently signed into law.
Rotimi Ekundayo,
Lagos
