Nigeria’s solid minerals sector took a giant digital leap on Friday as Minister Dele Alake officially launched the OneGov Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) at the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) — the first agency under the ministry to go fully paperless.
Speaking at the colourful event in Abuja, Alake hailed the rollout as proof that bold reforms are delivering “unprecedented revenue, transparency, and efficiency” across the sector.
“When we came in, annual revenue was around ₦6 billion. We doubled it within a year. This year, we are almost tripling it,” he declared, revealing that sector-wide collections jumped from ₦28 billion in 2024 to over ₦50 billion in 2025.
At the MCO alone, revenue soared from ₦6.17 billion in 2023 to ₦12 billion in 2024 — and has already crossed ₦30 billion in 2025.
Alake gave a vivid personal testimony: “My office used to drown in mountains of files — visitors and I could barely see each other. Today, I run the ministry from anywhere in the world with just my iPad and iPhone. No files. No delays.”
The OneGov system, powered by Galaxy Backbone, eliminates paperwork, secures documents, automates workflows, and speeds up licensing — moves Alake said have restored investor confidence and earned the MCO the prestigious NIRA Award for Best Digital and Innovation Agency.
But the minister issued a stern caveat: “Technology without mental reorientation will breed chaos. We must match digital tools with discipline and the right attitude.”
Permanent Secretary Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo praised the MCO for “raising the bar” and setting a model for other agencies in the AI-driven era.
MCO Director-General Engr. Obadiah Simon Nkom called the launch “a historic milestone not just for mining, but for Nigerian governance.”
Galaxy Backbone pledged uninterrupted connectivity and ongoing support to keep the system humming.
With OneGov now live, the Mining Cadastre Office is leading the charge in President Tinubu’s digital transformation agenda — proving that in Nigeria’s solid minerals revival, the future is not just mined, it’s digitised.
