Connect with us

Business

Expert Seeks More Safety At Construction Sites

Published

on

A Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) expert, Mr Gbolahan Abiodun,  has advised operators in the construction industry to be more conscious of their safety at construction sites.
He said effective safety system was crucial to viability and reputation of the construction industry.
Abiodun, a past president of Nigeria Chapter of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), made the observation in an interview with newsmen in Lagos Tuesday.
He said that implementation of HSE in the construction industry was a concern since getting industry operators to embrace effective HSE in their operations had been a difficult task.
Abiodun said many operators were emphasising costs, but “safety is not an expense, it is an investment of unquantifiable value”.
“When there is an accident at a construction site, investigation will commence, work will be delayed and financial institutions will have more reasons to shy away from financing real estate businesses.
“The builder will even have to compensate the families involved and might be fined by the government,” he said.
According to him, government agencies and HSE professionals have a major role to play in ensuring that construction industry operators are aware and embrace HSE compliance for accident free project delivery.
He said that the enforcement of safety regulations was not widespread within the industry, adding that many artisans at construction sites were oblivious of the dangers posed by their practice.
“More construction workers are killed, injured or suffered ill health than in any other industry and it is disheartening that such occur despite several efforts towards improving the health and safety status of the industry,
“Increases in the number of accidents both reported and unreported on construction sites still go unabated,” he said.
The expert said that the accidents were attributable to lack of effective monitoring, reporting and control practices in the industry.
According to the expert, globally, average of 245 people die at work each year, while 30,000 sustain serious workplace injuries each year.
He said that 25,000 persons left the workforce yearly due to injuries sustained at work caused by unsafe acts, omissions, mechanical failure and accidents described as acts of God.
Abiodun therefore said that understanding and management of risk in construction operation and compliance to Government Agency Health and safety Requirements would reduce the incidents of collapsed building and accident related incidents.

Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

on

Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

on

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

on

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
Continue Reading

Trending