Minister Charges Occupational Safety & Health Association to Promote Safety Awareness in Nigeria
The Minster of State for Works and Housing, Hon. Umar Ibrahim El- Yakub, has charged the Occupational Safety and Health Association to be committed and dedicated to creating awareness and promoting the importance of safety at the work place and homes in Nigeria.
He made this charge while declaring open the 12th International Occupational Safety and Health Association Conference and Awards event which held at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Headquarters, Abuja .
The theme of the conference was “A Partnership that Works: The Role of Stakeholders Towards Safety in the Workplace.”
Hon.El-Yakub said, ” I encourage your dedication and commitment to promoting safety in the region and I have no doubts that through your deliberations at the 12th conference, the great work you have been doing in the country over the years will be reinforced and strengthened.”
The Minister noted that the conference was very significant because it would be an avenue to discuss practical solutions and partnerships that could work for the safety and benefit of all in the private and public sectors in the country.
El-Yakub explained that the Ministry has put in place an active and robust workplace safety and health team to oversee and promote this important aspect of our lives in the work environment.
Responding on behalf of other new Fellows and Awardees, the Minister expressed gratitude for the decoration and Award received. He assured the Association of their commitment to contribute to the safety awareness and practice in Nigeria.
In his remarks, the President of the Nigeria Region of the Association, HRH, Dr.Olusegun Aderemi, noted that the issue of safety should be a precondition which must dominate the discourse when designing policies guiding operational procedures at work places.
Dr.Aderemi explained that due to the increase in the number of work related hazards, risks and fatalities that occur due to human errors, the association has now decided to organize this conference where favourable outcomes that would lead to practical and actionable steps to curb these fatalities could be achieved.
The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Sen. Babafemi Ojodu, stated that though government was expected to show a clear commitment on health and safety in the country, the private sector being the major employer of labour should also inculcate health, safety environment and best practices across every segment of their operations.
Speaking further he said that Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, on the other hand, should also understand that compliance with safety best practices alongside the installation of safety instruments within their facilities would not only help address incidents when they occur but will at the same time save them the cost that would have been incurred from such disasters.
In his goodwill message, the Minister of Environment, Barrister Abdullahi Mohammed who was represented by an officer from the Ministry, Mrs. Chika Okpalaka, enjoined the public to adopt environmental and health tips in the working environment such as:
- Conduct risk assessment to identify harzards and implement effective risk control measures.
ii.Make sure the work environment is safe.
iii.Develop and implement systems for dealing with emergences.
iv.Ensure workers are provided with sufficient instructions, training and supervisors so that they can work safely.
Professor George Genyi, from the Federal University, Nassarawa, in his paper titled, “The need for Partnership for all” noted that collaborating with Royal Fathers to promote safety was commendable because issues of safety and security were the responsibilities of everyone.
Highlights of the occassion were: decoration of some Eminent Nigerians as Fellows and Grand Patron of the Association as well as presentation of plaques of the Honourary Fellow of the Association to them.
The Awardees included: the Minister of State for Works and Housing, Hon.Umar Ibrahim El- Yakub, the Ministers of Defence, Environment and the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, the Estu Nupe, H.R.H. Alhaji Abubarkar Yahaya was decorated as the Grand Patron of the Association.
In addition, the kids safety book, tagged, “Amanda,The Smart Safety Girl “was unveiled. The book, authored by an eight year old Zara C. Uwalaka, has 17 basic safety tips every child must know.
It was a very successful and colourful event that was well attended.
