Contact Information
- registrar@comeg.gov.ng
- +234 81 0245 3857
- COMEG Headquarters, No 9, A Close, off 24 Crescent (by 24 Park), 2nd Avenue, Gwarimpa, Abuja, Nigeria.
About the Registrar
Professor Zacheus Olaniyan Opafunso was born in Agbagba village near Osu, Atakunmosa West Local Government Area of Osun State but is a native of Ede, Ede South Local Government Area. He specializes in Surface Mining, Mineral Resource Valuation, Mine Health, Safety and Environment, Explosive Applications, Mineral Economics, Mining Law, and Management.
Currently serving as the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG), Prof. Opafunso brings decades of experience in mining engineering, mineral resources management, and professional regulation to this pivotal role. As the first Professor to become COMEG's substantive Registrar/CEO and the first Nigerian Professor of Mining Engineering, he plays a crucial role in overseeing the implementation of COMEG's mandate in regulating and controlling the practice of mining engineering, geosciences, and related professions across Nigeria. His leadership has been instrumental in expanding the council’s regulatory functions and modernizing professional standards in line with global best practices.
Prof. Opafunso delivered the first Mining Engineering Inaugural Lecture by any Nigerian university on 10th October 2017 at the Federal University of Technology, Akure. The erudite professor has published extensively in national and international journals, with over seventy (70) journal articles and conference papers to his credit. He was on a two-year sabbatical leave at the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana, from August 2017 to July 2019, having previously undertaken a one-year sabbatical leave at the same institution from September 2007 to August 2008.
Prof. Opafunso's vision includes strengthening COMEG's position as the foremost regulator in Nigeria's extractive industry through enhanced professional development programs, technological adoption, and strategic industry partnerships that support the nation's economic diversification agenda.
He is happily married with children.
Academic Qualifications
Grade 1 (Distinction)
Baptist Grammar School, Isanlu-Isin, Kwara State, June 1977
HND in Mining Engineering
Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, 1981 (Best Graduating Student)
M.Sc in Mining Engineering
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Rapid City, USA, 1986 (FGN Postgraduate Scholarship)
MBA
University of South Dakota, Vermillion, USA (FGN Scholarship Renewal)
Ph.D. in Mining Engineering
Federal University of Technology, Akure, 2003
Bachelor of Law (LL.B)
National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja, January 2016