Connect with us

Business

Safety Awareness, Key To Sustainable Economic Dev – Group

Published

on

Health, Safety and Envi
ronment (HSE) practitioners have been urged to support government in its efforts to regulate occupational safety and health awareness to improve collaboration among stakeholders for sustainable economic development.
The Director-General, Lagos State Safety Commission, Fouad Oki, made the call in his goodwill message at the 2016 Annual Professional Development Conference (APDC) organised recently by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), Nigeria Chapter in Lagos State, with the theme: “Safety Advocacy And Compliance For Sustainable Society”.
He added that management system of occupational safety and health systems in the country faced serious challenges such as lack of sustained coordination and respect for extant laws by professionals.
The director-general further said: “We don’t have a choice about it. Unless we pull our resources together, the challenge will overwhelm us, especially at the state level. This is exactly the reason why the Lagos State Safety Commission was set up to address the very serious safety challenges bedeviling the workplace.”
The President of ASSE, Michael Belcher, said the association will work closely with governments across the globe to ensure that safety regulations were not only put in place, but are also effective in reducing accidents and injuries.
Also speaking, President of ASSE, Nigeria Chapter, Rita Obayojie, said that safety consciousness and awareness were on the increase in the country, and called for sustained efforts in increasing awareness campaigns by governments as well as professionals through trainings, pep talks, road shows, conferences, seminars and workshops.
According to her, the theme of the conference was designed to create an avenue for professionals, not only to come together for the sake of safety, but also to take away quality ideas and strategies to move safety to the next level in the workplace and at homes.
She stressed the need for stakeholders to renew their humanitarian service to protect people, properties and the environment, and to continually be advocates of safety, both in words, actions and reactions by devising sustainable techniques to keep Nigeria safe.
Obayojie said: “Safety awareness in Nigeria has always been a sensitive issue as organizations and professional bodies had looked for ways to collaborate with the government on how to ensure sustainability”, adding that, “we have had to deal with unsafe conditions and acts in our daily lives and we see these occurring in our society on several occasions in our little ways as professionals.
“We will continue to intervene and educate those involved and make them aware of the risks and hazards associated with unsafe actions on the environment, while suggesting the most practicable control measures to limit the negative consequences of unsafe practices,” she said.
It would be recalled that in order to evolve sustainable strategies enshrined in extant regulations on safety in Nigeria, professionals have been in synergy with government, institutions and organizations to promote the culture of safety across all sectors in the country.

 

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana

Continue Reading

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

Published

on

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Continue Reading

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

on

National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Continue Reading

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

Published

on

In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
Continue Reading

Trending