Department of Mining Engineering

You are heartily welcome to the Department of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Jos. The Department was established in 2014, and it has since then grown tremendously in both staff and students. The Department is aimed at providing students with high quality, broad-based knowledge, skills, training and experience in areas required for practices in the minerals extractive industry, academia and research. The Department has steadily maintained a full accreditation level with its average undergraduate student enrolment of 50 per each academic year, and just started postgraduate enrolment of about 30 students spanning through the PhD, MSc and PGD programmes.

At the inception of the University of Jos in 1975, the Faculty of Engineering did not commence. The conceptual framework of the establishment of the Faculty of Engineering came to fruition about four (4) decades after the establishment of the University, precisely in the year 2014 with Engr. Prof. Stephen Jackdell Mallo as Coordinator and the subsequent Pioneer Dean of the new Faculty.

The Faculty of Engineering started with four academic Departments, namely; Civil Engineering, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Mining Engineering. The first set of students in the Department of Mining Engineering graduated in the 2018/2019 Academic session.

The Department started with 25 students, out of which 7 of them successfully made it to the final year in 2018/2019 Academic Session with one of them, Mr. Alabede Lukman, graduated with a First Class Honours.

Prof. Stephen J. Mallo was the first Head of the Department of Mining Engineering while Dr. Kayode A. Idowu was the Pioneer Level Coordinator and Examination Officer of the Department.

Engr. Arisekola O. Taiwo as Acting Head of Department, succeeded Prof. S. J. Mallo 2015.

On August 30, 2018, Mr. Caleb K. Aluwong took over as a Coordinator and he was succeeded by another Coordinator, Engr. Abayomi P. Akinola, on August 8, 2021.

The Department has since grown steadily and increased in both full-time, sabbatical, and visiting staff. In 2014, Prof. Stephen J. Mallo, Engr. Arisekola O. Taiwo, Mr. Caleb K. Aluwong and Dr. Kayode A. Idowu joined the Department as pioneer and full-time staff in the cadres of Professor, Senior Lecturer, Lecturer II and Lecturer II respectively while Engr. Theophilus I. Ojonimi joined the Department as a Graduate Assistant in 2015.

By 2018, the following members of staff were appointed by the University Management as full-time Lecturers of the Department. These are Engr. Abayomi P. Akinola, Engr. Kayode Komolafe, Engr. Martins M. Basu and Mr. Joshua D. Joro.

The Department has also at various times been joined on Sabbatical and Visiting Lecturer status to include Dr. Ebenezer A. O. Damisa on sabbatical in 2018 (and on visiting in 2019), Dr. Irniya S. Amoka as a Visiting Senior Lecturer to the Department in 2018.

In 2021, Dr Luqman K. Salati, Dr. Oladunni O. Alabi, Prof. Dunka Thomas and Prof. Thomas B. Afeni were all employed in the Department as Visiting Senior Lecturers and Professor respectively.

The current Acting Head of Department, Dr. Kayode A. Idowu took over the mantle of leadership on November 26, 2023 and he is also the Pioneer Coordinator of the Postgraduate programmes in the Department, while Dr. Ismail A. Okewale was recently employed as a Visiting Senior Lecturer on the 13th May 2024.

Vision

The vision is to produce Mining Engineers who are capable of exploiting economically Nigeria’s minerals reserves in sustainable and environmentally friendly manner and in line with international best practices.

Mission

Minerals have been essential to man since our beginning. An adequate supply of mineral products at acceptable prices is the indispensable basis of any modern industrial nation. The demand for minerals of all kinds is higher today than ever before, and it continues to increase as the nations of the world strive to improve their standards of living. It is the task of the mineral industry and the people in it to meet these needs. Therefore, our mission is to apply knowledge of pertinent scientific theory, engineering fundamentals and improved technology to recover natural mineral resources by well-trained mining professionals that are very versed in mining and geology, and also in the principles of applied engineering to the mining industry. In other words, a degree in Mining Engineering is designed to produce a professional capable of designing and managing modern mineral extractive operations, or continuing into research and consulting.

Philosophy

Man has learnt to use the earth’s resources for centuries. Minerals being the primary components of these earth resources form the basis for social, economic, cultural and technological development of any human society.

The Mining Engineering Programme is aimed at providing students with high-quality, broad-based knowledge, training, skills and experience in areas required for practice in the minerals industry and with the analytical and problem-solving skills required in industry, the academia and research. Upon satisfactory completion of the programmes, students should be able to practice in areas requiring skills for mine planning and design, rock excavation, water and gas drainage, and mine environmental control and mineral processing. A graduate of the Department should be able to provide technical skills in all aspects of minerals engineering and supervise labour in mineral prospecting, mining operations, processing and marketing of mining equipment and mineral commodities as well as engaging in consulting services, teaching and research in minerals and geotechnical engineering field. Graduates would, therefore, be able to integrate technical, planning, organizational management and financial skills with an emphasis on those areas as their talents allow.

The general aim and objectives of engineering training should be in consonance with the realization of national needs and aspirations vis-à-vis industrial development and technology emancipation. The course has been designed with standards to meet these needs and to produce graduates in Engineering and Technology with sufficient academic background coupled with sufficient skills and practical experience and who are able to rise to the challenges of a developing economy. Such graduates must, therefore, be resourceful, skillful, creative and able to perform the following underlisted functions. Graduates in Engineering are to;

(i) design engineering projects and supervise their construction;

(ii) design and make components, machines, equipment and system;

(iii) design and develop new products and production techniques in industries;

(iv) install and maintain complex engineering systems so that they can perform optimally

in our environment;

(v) adapt and adopt exogenous technology and skills in order to solve local engineering

problems; and

(vi) imbibe entrepreneurial spirit and develop appropriate skills required for the world of

work both for taking and providing a job (employment).

Furthermore, the programme is established to: provide suitable personnel for the minerals and oil industry, serve as vehicle for rapid transformation of the Nigerian economy, train specialists in prospecting, mining, processing and marketing of mineral commodities and equipment, and train specialists in consulting, teaching and research.