However, the Federal Government had in 1995 raised a committee to produce a Solid Minerals Policy for the country and it recommended that the Institute should engage in training higher level manpower by addressing the gap left in the　 training of engineers in the universities and polytechnics and that it should run courses not usually covered in the routine curricula of the universities. Also, the committee recommended that it should provide further field and laboratory exposures for university teachers and postgraduate students in mining and geosciences　 that could be obtained in their tertiary institutions. Besides, it advised that　 the institute should also provide for both public and private sectors alike, laboratory services for rock and mineral identification and mineral beneficiation. The provost said the plan was that it "would not only fill the gap in the professional courses and enhanced exposures, but also further provide a link between the trainers and employers of graduating students. It would complement the research and development efforts of the private mining companies, the universities and similar research institutions. For this purpose, it was proposed that, to reflect these new dimensions, the name of the institute which used to be the National Mining and Geological Institute should now be called and known as National Institute for Mining and Geosciences."

While explaining the composition of the institute in a press conference that heralded the commencement of academic activities in the institute, the provost noted that the institute has three campuses with Tundun Wada Campus serving as the administrative and academic centre, the Miango Road Campus, which is the permanent site, is planned to house both students hostels and staff quarters as well as the Mining Community Resources Centre at the West of Mines, for extension services.

Already, the NIMG has the facilities for training and research in all aspects of mineral resources development while efforts are also being made to acquire more state-of –the-art equipment that will place it at par with any mining institute of its kind anywhere in the world. In addition, it was envisaged that the institute will serve the entire West African sub-region in the training of highly skilled manpower in Mining and Geosciences.

The institute, according to its plan would for a start offer 18 month postgraduate programmes leading to the award in Postgraduate Diploma in Mining Engineering, Postgraduate Diploma in Minerals Engineering and Postgraduate Diploma in Mineral Exploration.　 The curriculum of the Institute was tailored with the assistance of foreign and local experts. Besides it incorporates intensive practical field training and therefore, is of higher standard and at a more advanced level than those currently obtained from the strict academic institutions in Nigeria. Moreover, it is also planned for the institute to train miners and artisans that are involved in the actual mining operations.

The foundation set has a total of 42 students, among whom are two ladies drawn from the six geo-political zones of the country covering 23 states with 19 in Geosciences, Mining Engineering13 and 10 Mineral Engineering.

But despite the current crisis in Jos, some of the 42 post graduate foundation students 　commenced academic　 activities in the institute, it was learnt. Odeyemi had said: "In spite of this crisis several of the students who have been offered admission have promised to show up on Monday." The students, said the provosts are mostly workers coming under the sponsorship of some mining firms that have resolved to improve the skills of their workforce.

While commenting on preparation for studies, the provost noted that NIMG had already engaged 14 lecturers temporarily even as the director of training and academic were seasoned academics. "currently we have about 14 lecturers . Some of them are not here because we have engaged them temporally but don’t forget also that the director of training is a season academic , the provost is a seasoned academic, the director of academic is a seasoned academic", he said.

In furtherance of the preparation, Odeyemi noted that two professors from different universities of note have applied to work with the institute , adding that NIMG is called an institute, although it is university in the making. The Institute, according to Odeyemi has also perfected plans for engaging 42 support staff such as Legal Officer, Public Relations Officer, Confidential Secretary and the Chief Security Officer, whom he said was already around. He said: "We are going to recruit additional 42 support staff and they will get their letters very soon."

On the preparation for take-off, he explained that the Institute "has three campuses with Tudun Wada Campus serving as the Administrative and Academic Centre, the Miango Road Campus (the permanent site housing both students hostel and staff quarters as well as the Mining Community Resources Centre at the West of Mines, for extension services."

He lamented that even as good as the Nigeria’s graduates in the sector are, they lack the skills for mineral exploitation and exploration therefore the institute was established to fill the gap that will be left when the expatriates leave.

In a similar development, the provost recalled that the sector was abandoned for over five decades due to the discovering of oil and its quick money. The neglect, he observed also affected mining education and created doubts among the citizenry as to whether government could be serious with anything mining. The doubt, he further noted was because government had been inconsistent in its policy on mining. Therefore, the candidates were initially slow to respond to the advert for admission. Nigeria, according to him, is lagging behind Ghana in terms of development in the sector not because the latter has more minerals but because Nigeria was carried away with oil money and abandoned mineral exploration and education. In addition, he posited that the mining school in Ghana has since transformed into a Mining University even as Nigeria is yet to find its bearing in mining education.

During a media tour to the Mining Community Resource Centre, claimed that raw gemstones are exported from the country and dropped the hint plans were underway to train miners to add value to the mineral. Due to the plan, NIMG wants to set up a centre　 and hire experts from UK and Thailand to train them for gemological certificates that are recognized all over the world. 　" Instead of what we have in this country now where we mine gemstone and send them out of the country raw. We want to add value to this gemstone by setting up a centre in the institute for training Nigerians on how to cut gemstone. 　They will get not only Nigerian professional certificates, they will get the world gemological certificate because we are going to bring experts from UK and from the Thailand and 20 will graduate per year. So they become certified gem cutters and they can operate in any part of the world. So that is the building set aside for it," he said. Although the centre was opened in 1958 and the structure is now old, he revealed that NIMG had plans to modernize it.

The NIMG, 　as part of its corporate social responsibility, allows some miners in the community to process their minerals such as tin and columbite at the centre almost free of charge. He said: " All the people you see here are members of the community this is why we call this place Mining Community Resource Centre. We allow them to come here and process whatever they bring from the field. Usually they are called coal miners and whatever they scoop they bring them here and for next to nothing they just treat it for them they just go and sell. That is the area of corporate social responsibility of the institute. So, this is the extension, it is community development, education services centre, where the Institute has contact directly with the community to enhance what they are doing on the field."　　

Odeyemi noted that the skill acquisition in mining will be extended to miners in the community, NIMG would train on explosive, management and blasting, although they currently extract minerals, come for identification and advice on the usage.