Ondo State is richly endowed with abundant mineral resources that are of diverse industrial applications. These economically viable mineral deposits, which include petroleum, bitumen, kaolin, clay, glass sands among others, if judiciously managed, have the potential to serve as major foreign exchange earning with considerable multiplier effects as well as input for the local industries.
The need to regulate and actualize the exploration, exploitation and development of these potentially – rich mineral resources by the State Government without contravening existing regulation of the Federal Government to the overall benefit of the State and her citizenry, the Department Mineral Resources was established as a bold attempt to spur the rapid and beneficial development of the state’s solid mineral resources.
The Department which is expected to unlock the economic potentials of the solid minerals sub-sector of the state is strategically positioned in the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources to efficiently promote exploration/exploitation of all mineral resources except hydrocarbon (oil and gas) and ensure routine inspection/monitoring of mining activities in the state. Besides, it stands to bridge the long standing gap between the mining operators and host communities.
The Department engages in assessment, evaluation, characterization of minerals and formulation of policy and regulations guiding the various stages of prospecting, quarrying and mining in the state. It also facilitates the resource estimation of known mineral occurrences as well as providing information on prospective areas of mineral exploration and health hazards traceable to the underlying geology.
DIRECTOR, MINERAL RESOURCES
In the quest to generate adequate and appropriate mineral data for development of minerals that abound in the state, the department of Mineral Resources has been mandated to perform the following functions;