In a bid to make the mining sector to contribute more to the Gross Domestic Product, the Federal Government has acquired two drilling rigs to be used in the exploration of minerals deposits across the country. At the inauguration of the rigs in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Mr Bawa Bwari, said with the new acquisition, the government had demonstrated the will to diversify the nation’s sources of revenue.

Bwari said, “As we are all aware, one of the policy thrusts of the present administration is the diversification of the economy hinged mainly on development of solid mineral resources. Considering the mining sector value chain, exploration is key to its success. The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, being the key agency of the ministry involved in exploration, much is expected in terms of delivering on quality geoscience data.

The Director General, NGSA, Mr Alex Nwegbu, said the acquisition of the drilling rigs marked a major milestone in the operation of the agency. He said the newly acquired HYDX-5A rigs had the capacity of probing down to 1.5-kilometre depth, an unusually impressive capacity. According to him, the rigs can also be adapted for borehole drilling. Newgbu said with the acquisition of the rigs, the agency could now be sure of the geological data that it would generate.

Source: The Punch