NISCN PRESIDENT, FESTUS DANIEL AFFIRMS ‘SAFE NIGERIA WILL BE CREATED BY NIGERIANS’; AS INDUSTRIAL SAFETY COUNCIL HOLDS 3-DAY WORKSHOP IN LAGOS • Mogbojuri tells Nigerians to expect more safety workshops across the country
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
L-R: National Officer (Southwest), National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria, NISCN, Mr. Taiwo Oluwadamilare Mogbojuri; National President, NISCN, Dr. Festus Daniel and Chairman, NISCN Lagos State, Omooba Adeyinka Oyekan
The Nigeria Safety Conference and Workshop organized by National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria (NISCN) has taken place in Lagos. The safety training conference which is a part of several activities and avenues employed by the Council established in 1964 is to ensure that safety standards are duly followed across various sectors of Nigeria. It drew participants from security agencies, industries, training institutions, et al.
Trek Africa Newspaper can report that training certificates and training kits were presented to the participants at the end of the three-day conference. The trainings engaged videos, simulations, lectures, Q n A sessions in order to pass across the message of safety to participants.
Safety Marshals, Task Force and Compliance Unit were also inaugurated for the Lagos State chapter during the 3-day conference.
Among those in attendance include heads and representatives of security agencies in Lagos such as the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos Neighborhood Safety Agency (LNSA); the President of the National Association of Miners; High Chief Ogunbanwo from Lekki LCDA; among others. There were representatives from Nigeria Local Content Board, Hitec Contruction, Lekki Free Trade Zone, Nigeria Red Cross Society, among others present at the 3-day conference.
In his chat with Trek Africa Newspaper, the National President, National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria, Dr. Festus Daniel disclosed about the conference, ‘We have trainings in several areas and topics on safety as Nigerians. We want people to go home and look at things that are not done rightly and begin to correct them. Things are not made perfect in one day but gradually and the joy of it is that we are doing it by ourselves. Safe Nigeria will be created by Nigerians for Nigerians and others.’
He advised: ‘Let us leave positions and titles aside and focus on the subject which is the challenge of unsafe situations. Every joint will supply so that the body can stand firm. The Road Safety is important, Fire Service is important, Military is important, everybody is important. We can prevent issues rather than arrest situations. Let us have our country at heart.’
On his part, the National Officer (Southwest), National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria, Mr. Taiwo Oluwadamilare Mogbojuri furthered about the work of the safety council. ‘By our mandate, we are to promote safety regulation and compliance across all sectors in Nigeria. My advice is that all sectors should embrace safety compliance. We want Nigeria to be safe. We can’t continue like this, hence the need for this programme – to improve, advise, create advocacy on safety matters. We believe that all the participant, sectors, and representatives are able to go back to their respective organizations to practice what they have learned.’
‘Our National President, Dr. Festus Daniel launched an online portal, i-reporting, which can make you report any event to the Council across all sectors even if you are not in Nigeria. Immediately we will take it up. Our team of staff, volunteers, or partner organizations will make sure that safety standards are complied with’, he told Trek Africa Newspaper.
‘We will ensure that this training will be continuous. Therefore we have established collaboration with organizations, compliance and regulation agencies, it is not going to stop to lectures, we will go to churches, schools, and industries, our officers will do critical inspection, we want to make Nigeria safe. Our President, Dr. Daniel is also bringing experts across sectors as task force and compliance unit towards making sure that we are safe and to give advocacy, to report to various agencies on safety issues’, Mogbojuri concluded.
The State Chairman (Lagos State), National Industrial Safety Council of Nigeria, Omooba Adeyinka Oyekan added: ‘What we are doing here is to Train the Trainers. These people will go out to teach others what we are trying to train. A lot of people try to cut corners, we won’t allow people to take risks with our people’s lives because they want to have their daily bread. We won’t allow foreigners to maltreat our people. It is not going to be business as usual. We want to have standards like we have outside but we will domicile it to our place because our environment is different. Be prepared that we will do things aright. Safety is for all.’
One of the trainers at the conference, Mr. Francis Olayinka from Nigeria Red Cross Society, spoke with Trek Africa Newpaper. ‘I want people to understand that when emergency happens, we don’t need to just rush to the scene, we need to think of our safety because it is only when you are calm that the solution that is needed will come to your mind. We also need to look out for dangers to yourself first, dangers to the person you want to help, and dangers to people that are coming around to help the person. It is when the place is safe that you can proceed to help. You can dial 767 or 112 in all cases of collapsed building, fire outbreak, floods, medical emergencies, etc.’
On the challenge of Police reports during emergencies, Mr. Olayinka noted: ‘The bureaucracy that comes into getting Police report makes it hard for people to assist those in emergency. But as a trained, certified personnel that should not be a barrier. For those who don’t have the certificates but need to help, they should carry people along, don’t do it yourself, get people involved so that in case any eventuality happens, people can bear you witness.’
