Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Nigeria, a Writer, Author and a seasoned Media Professional, Mr. Oladele Alake. He was the Honourable Commissioner for Information & Strategy in Lagos, Nigeria’s most industrial and cosmopolitan state between 1999 and 2007.
In that capacity, he was involved in formulating the strategic and tactical initiatives which made the administration of Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, then the Governor of Lagos State to record outstanding achievements.
These marked its record of excellence in industry, finance, education, health, employment and community development.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Mass Communications from the prestigious University of Lagos, Nigeria.
A statesman par excellence gifted with the Midas touch to transform organizations and systems, Alake has been instrumental to the establishment and development of many media organizations, including Lagos Television, The Nation Newspaper, Television Continental (TVC), Max FM station, Adaba FM, and National Life.
Widely travelled and acknowledged as an influential and prodigious political communications guru, Alake rose to the pinnacle of his career as a journalist at the Concord Press of Nigeria, where he was the Editor of Sunday Concord and National Concord newspapers at various times.
He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and a former Vice President of the Guild. Until he was appointed the Honourable Minister, he was the Special Adviser on Strategy, Communications & Special Duties to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
PERMANENT SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF SOLID MINERALS DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Mary A. Ogbe was born on the 20th October, 1970. She graduated from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, with a Bachelors of Medicine, Bachelors of Surgery-MBBS in 1994, and Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital for her Postgraduate studies.
She began her working experience as a Medical Officer at General outpatient Department, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna from 1996-2005. She was a staff of the FCT Medical Services from 2006 to 2008. From 2008 to 2022 she worked at the State House Medical Center, Asokoro Abuja where she served as the administrative head of the Centre from 2010-2015 as well as the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee. During this period, she initiated a lot of reforms in the Centre.
She is a Chief Consultant Obstetrics & Gynaecologist of many years’ experience and a member and fellow of many medical Professional bodies and Associations.
She was appointed Federal Permanent Secretary in April, 2022 and deployed to the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), a position she held until May, 2023.
She assumed duty in June, 2023 as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development following her deployment from FCSC by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
SOLID MINERALS DEVELOPMENT FUND
Hajiya. Fatima Umaru Shinkafi is the current Chief Executive of the Solid Minerals Development Fund. The Solid Minerals Development Fund is a government-owned Fund established to drive investments in Nigeria’s mining sector.
As a funding vehicle, SMDF’s key role will be to maximize recovery of mining investments to drive sector growth. Under the current leadership of Hajiya Fatima, over US$500-600m of projects have been identified that SMDF could drive across formalization, data development, production and processing in the next 5 years.
Hajiya Fatima has acquired extensive knowledge of the Nigerian mining sector and championed the restructuring of the Fund with the target of providing access to capital and fast-tracking development of the mining sector.
Most recently in February 2023 SMDF partnered with the African Finance Corporation (AFC) to deploy project development funding and technical advisory worth $700 Billion, to fast-track closure and operations of commercial scale mining projects in Nigeria.
AFC and SMDF will combine funds with innovative investment tools to co-develop mining projects to mitigate risks that would otherwise have prevented financing to drive bankability.
Chairman Senate Committee on Solid Minerals
Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Ekong Sampson was appointed to serve in the Akwa Ibom State Executive Council as Honourable Commissioner for Rural Development. A native of Ikot Unya village in Mkpat Enin LGA, Barr. Sampson was born on September 21, 1966.
He began his educational journey at Methodist Primary School, Ikot Abasi in 1972 and later proceeded to Group School, Ikot Ekpene, where he bagged his FSLC in 1978. He also attended Holy Family College, Abak, where he got his SSCE in 1984; The Polytechnic, Calabar where he got his ND in Mass Communication in 1986, University of Cross River State, where he got LL.B (Hons.) in 1990.
After his stint at UNICROSS, Sampson proceeded to the Nigeria Law School, where he bagged B.L. in 1991. He also holds LL.M from the University of Lagos.
He is currently undergoing Doctorate Degree Programme in Law at the University of Calabar.
He started his professional career with Journalism and later veered into Law in 1992. He partnered with many Law Firms and as at 2000, before his appointment as Chief Legislative Assistant to Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, he was the Principal Partner, Ekong Sampson and Co., a Law Firm based in the Sabo area of Lagos.
As a public office holder, Barr. Sampson has served as a Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area. In appreciation of his giant strides as Council boss, he was elected in 2007 to represent Mkpat Enin State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and later got re-elected in 2011.
MD/CEO Mica Equity Allocation Limited
Akueche Michael is a graduate of Accounting with lots of
experience in Capacity Building Strategies, Project
Management and Costing. He is noted for his commitment to
Nigerian content issues. As at 2006 when the Nigerian Content
Act was still a bill, Michael worked with the Senate Committee
on Petroleum
Resources Upstream together with its Consultants to ensure the bill is passed into law at the National Assembly.
Michael happened to be one of the first indigenous firms to facilitate sensitization workshops on the Act in 2011 as soon as it was passed into law in 2010 and participated in facilitating the first set of indigenous training on Oil’ Spill Management and Environmental Remediation Training (OSMERT) sponsored by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB, an agency of government established to supervise, co-ordinate, administer and monitor the implementation and development of Nigerian content as specified in the Nigerian Content Act, in respect of operations, contracts and all’ other activities in the Nigerian oil and gas industry). He had been a banker and a civil servant.
Ojile Meshach Owoh PhD is a qualified Ph.D Environmental Management, Environmental Planning, Pollution Control and Management Consultant.
He has had over 20 years professional and practical experience in
Environmental Management Consultancy.
His experiences spans thus;
·- Experiences in Managing Multi-disciplinary team conducting environmental assessment studies, relating to a variety of development including Oil and Gas E & P operations, erosion/flood defense and coastal protection work, infrastructural and development projects and environmental rehabilitation activities/projects.
-· Experience as a Consultant in Socio economic/SIA Community Health Assessment (HIA)
Public Participation/Consultation/Community Engagement and Environmental
Management.
Expertise in Technical report writing (Management Studies) and
review.
Training in making
Social Impact Assessment (SIA) count in the Planning and
Environmental Assessment Process.
– He consults also for the leading oil majors like Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). Mr. Meshach Owho PhD is presently lecturing Geography and Environmental
Management at the Niger Delta University Wilberforce Island, Amasoma, Bayelsa State.
Perekibina Anthony is a 1986 graduate of University of Ibadan
where he bagged B.Sc. (Hons) in Geography. He also obtained a
Masters
Degree and Ph.D in Environmental Management from-the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He is a member of a number of professional organizations, these includes National Registry of Environmental Professional UDA (2013) and Nigerian Institute of Safety Professionals.
Presently, he is a senior lecturer at the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Amasoma, Bayelsa State.