Expert expresses disappointment over lackadaisical attitude of government towards safety matters

By Abimbola Joseph

CITIZENS COMPASS–The President of the Institute of Safety Professionals Of Nigeria (ISPON), Mr Timothy Iwuagwu, has decried the lackadaisical attitude of government officials towards matters relating to safety precautions.

He expressed the disappointment on weekend, during the celebration of ISPON 10th Anniversary Conference with the theme: Legal Framework, Safety Compliance and Professionalism: A Panacea for Industrial Development and Economic Growth.

The safety expert said in June, some Nigerians got buried in a mine in Niger State to which ISPON went there to assess the situation and addressed Nigerians about the unfortunate development.

“I am sure the government listened because we spoke through the television and we pointed out a whole lot of unsafe practices in the community.

“Till date, we have not been called by any agency of the government to come and throw more light on the things we said about the incident on television,” he said.

The president said that since he took over in October 2023, the institution had opened functional offices in Enugu, Kano, Maiduguri, Yola, Lokoja, Minna, among other states.

“The institute has never spread like this in a short interval of time.

“The progress was not achieved by accident but through a well thought out plan and deliberate effort to actualise it,” he said.

Iwuagwu said that the institute over the years engaged in training, compliance awareness activities, evaluation of people among other activities.

“If people are not trained, we will have so many incidents and accidents, that is why they say, knowledge is power,” he said.

The president said a major problem to the development of the economy was the dichotomy between the academia and industrial sector.

He said that the school curriculum did not reflect the needs of the industrial labour market.

“So, we need the university’s curriculum to be adjusted to reflect the same realities of the industrial labour market, otherwise there will be misfits and the gap will keep widening,” Iwuagwu said.

Also, the first Register of ISPON, Prof. Innocent Okunamiri urged all practicing safety officers in various companies to register with institution to be well recognised in the sector.

“No matter how many qualifications you have gathered, if your name is not in the register of the institute, you won’t be considered a professional.

“So those safety officers in various companies in this country whose names are not in the register, are only safety practitioners and not professionals,” Okunamiri said.

The Citizen Compass reports that the week-long conference, which started Monday Aug. 19 with an opening lecture titled “The Rule Of Law, Law Making, Law Breaking And The Relationship Between Court Judgement And Memorandum Of Understanding”, ended on Saturday Aug. 24th.

“The conference ended with a closing lecture titled ” Safety Compliance,  The Rule Of Law And The Difference Between The Roles Of A Safety Professional And A Safety Practitioner”.

The major activities at the event includes;  the unveiling of the New Logo of ISPON; a new General Policy Guidelines and the General Regulations For Safety Management In Nigeria, 2024.

The special anniversary conference and annual General Meeting was well attended by different hierarchy of members of ISPON including Governing Board members, Life members,  Corporate members, Fellows Individual and individuals across the states and the FCT.