The Ogun State Government has announced plans to establish a Safety Commission and commence a comprehensive statewide industrial safety audit as part of efforts to strengthen workplace safety, improve regulatory compliance, and sustain the state’s industrial growth.

 

 

The Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, disclosed this on Tuesday while declaring open a training workshop for safety personnel organised by the Ministry of Environment in Abeokuta.

 

Speaking on the theme, Industrial Resilience and Safety Governance: Building a Culture of Compliance, Prevention and Sustainable Growth, Oresanya said the proposed Safety Commission would transform the existing Safety Office into a more empowered regulatory institution capable of meeting the demands of Ogun’s expanding industrial economy.

 

He said the commission would strengthen policy implementation, enhance technical oversight, improve enforcement mechanisms, facilitate collaboration among stakeholders, and promote international best practices in occupational safety and environmental protection.

 

According to him, the government is committed to ensuring that rapid industrialisation is matched with robust safety systems, environmental protection, emergency preparedness, and effective risk management.

 

“As one of Nigeria’s foremost industrial destinations, Ogun State continues to attract significant local and foreign investments. While this growth presents opportunities for employment, wealth creation, and technological advancement, it also places greater responsibility on government and industry to ensure that development is supported by strong safety and environmental standards,” he said.

 

The commissioner disclosed that recent inspections, facility assessments, and preliminary safety audits conducted by officials of the ministry revealed a disconnect between documented safety policies and actual workplace practices in many industries.

 

He noted that although several organisations had developed safety management systems, compliance was often driven by regulatory inspections rather than an entrenched culture of prevention.

 

“Too often, safety exists in manuals rather than in behaviour. Too often, compliance is driven by inspections instead of conviction. Too often, risks are managed after incidents instead of before they occur. This reality demands a new approach,” Oresanya said.

 

He explained that the proposed statewide industrial safety audit programme would not be punitive but would serve as a diagnostic and evidence-based management tool for identifying emerging risks, establishing measurable safety benchmarks and supporting organisations to improve operational resilience.

 

According to him, the initiative forms part of the Ministry’s 2026-2028 Strategic Safety Transformation Agenda, which seeks to institutionalise continuous risk assessment, proactive leadership, and measurable safety performance across industries.

 

He added that the government expects every industrial facility operating in the state to adopt measurable safety performance standards, making safety a key performance indicator alongside production, quality, and profitability.

 

The commissioner urged safety personnel to see themselves as organisational leaders and change agents whose decisions could determine the safety and well-being of workers.

 

He called on participants to utilise the knowledge gained from the workshop to strengthen workplace discipline, improve risk management, and institutionalise a safety culture across their organisations.

 

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Dr Kafayat Modupe Lawal,represented by director, environmental quality control, water regulatory enforcement and advocacy, Mr. Kayode Akinmade disclosed that the workshop formed part of the government’s broader strategy to strengthen institutional capacity, improve regulatory effectiveness, and enhance industrial resilience across the state.

 

She said recent inspections by the ministry had identified areas requiring improvement in risk management, emergency preparedness, operational compliance, and proactive safety culture, necessitating sustained capacity building for safety professionals.

 

Lawal noted that the programme also represents another step towards evolving the ministry’s Safety Office into a stronger institutional framework capable of delivering world-class safety governance in line with global best practices.

 

She urged participants to maximise the opportunity provided by the training, stressing that the knowledge shared by the resource persons would enhance effective risk management, legal compliance, emergency preparedness, and sustainable operational excellence.

 

The workshop featured technical sessions on strategic safety governance, applied risk engineering, incident investigation, and root cause analysis, as well as the development of practical safety improvement plans for industrial facilities across Ogun State