Expert deplores govt’s lackadaisical attitude towards safety matters

President of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON), Timothy Iwuagwu, has lamented government officials’ lackadaisical attitude towards matters relating to safety precautions.

Iwuagwu expressed the disappointment during the celebration of ISPON’s 10th anniversary conference with the theme: “Legal Framework, Safety Compliance and Professionalism: A Panacea for Industrial Development and Economic Growth.”

The opening lecture of the conference was titled “The Rule of Law, Law Making, Law Breaking and the Relationship Between Court Judgment and Memorandum of Understanding, and 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.”

According to him, some Nigerians got buried in a mine in Niger State in June and ISPON went there to access the situation and spoke with Nigerians on 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.

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

The ISPON 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.

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

Besides, Iwuagwu said that 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.

Meanwhile, the first Registrar of ISPON, Prof. Innocent Okunamiri, has urged all practicing safety officers in various companies to register with the institute 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.