Risk managers tasks government on risk adoption to hedge pandemic’s impact

The Risk Managers Society of Nigeria (RIMSON) has called on the government at all levels to adopt risk management measures to manage COVID-19 and to mitigate its negative impacts on the economy of the country.

According to the Society, the stark realities of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic have exposed the vulnerability and relative lack of preparedness of nations, Nigeria inclusive; occasioning regular reviews of strategies and existing frameworks in order to make necessary adjustments in the processes for tackling worst case scenarios.

Speaking to The Guardian over the weekend, the President, RIMSON, Raymond Akalonu, said government efforts thus far, in address the pandemic via the deployment of protocols, medical and health workers, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and medical infrastructure are highly commendable.

He however noted that it was vital to highlight areas in need of optimisation for ultimately winning the war and also in readiness for any future challenge.

He said: “We believe there is still great room for improvement, both in strategy and policy formulation, as well as implementation. This is more so as the curve across the nation continues to trend upwards in spite of measures that have been taken so far.

“We recognise that the COVID-19 war requires the cooperation of all and sundry and that it is within our mandate as professional risk managers to contribute our quota towards reinforcing the efforts of government and its agencies.

“Our recommendations comprise additional risk management measures for containing the disease and for mitigating its debilitating impacts on the country across all fronts – economy, social, security and education etc. We have, therefore, identified a few focal areas which require closer scrutiny in the ongoing COVID-19 war.

“COVID-19 is a serious reminder of the need for capacity and development of all essential institutions and professions in Nigeria.

Thus, the need for adequate infrastructure for driving an improved and accelerated testing capacity which should be guided by the population of Nigeria in comparison to the tests carried out so far. There is also a compelling need to beam the searchlight on States with less than optimal compliance with the NCDC established protocols.