Safety practitioners are seeking the inculcation of a safety culture within the workplace in the country.

They stressed that effective leadership must begin from within organisations and institutions to build a resilient safety future.
The call was made by a safety expert and consultant to the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSC), Akinlara Babalola, at the maiden edition of the Lagos Safety Outlook 2026, themed ‘Leading from Within’.

Babalola reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s renewed commitment to sustaining a global gold standard in the protection of lives and property across the state, describing safety as a critical pillar of Lagos’ competitiveness and global appeal.
According to him, achieving a safe and secure Lagos requires collective responsibility and proactive leadership at all levels, noting that safety should not be treated as nobody’s business.

The convener explained that the Lagos Safety Outlook is designed to serve as an annual platform for policy dialogue, leadership engagement, and strategic thinking aimed at strengthening safety culture in Lagos State and across Nigeria.
The Director General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola, also said safety doesn’t start with alarm, regulators, but starts with leadership, and works with culture, hence, maintained that if safety doesn’t thrive under leadership, we have cause to worry about.

He advised that leadership needs to do a reality check, but concluded that if leadership fails, safety fails.
In his own contribution, the President of the Safety Professionals of Nigeria, Dr Stephen Udenze, states that professional leadership does not live with excuses but takes responsibility for whatever happens, be it good or bad, so long as the officer or officers that caused it are under your authority.

He said with that, safety culture is already being built and before you know it, everywhere is built by a dedicated safety team who are ready to instil discipline in the entire.
Also speaking at the event, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, emphasised that safety and security are inseparable, noting that police officers are trained to protect lives and property through both safety and security enforcement.

The Commissioner expressed satisfaction with the growing collaboration between safety and security agencies, urging citizens and organisations to remain committed to enforcing safety standards and safeguarding lives and assets.