As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the 2023 World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has urged the government to improve safety at work places by implementing relevant labour safety laws.
ILO lamented the country’s poor rate of adherence to safety regulations at workplaces and urged strict regulation enforcement.
Speaking during the road show and medical outreach organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on Thursday at the Gudu market, Abuja to mark the day, ILO safety officer, Ojobo Adah said: “when you talk of safety, first, you talk of environment. When it comes to the issue of safety environment, Nigeria is not doing much. That is the truth about it. You see so many that have problems in their places of work. Most of them do come to Labor Congress for help. By the time they’ve been sent them back to their employer, what we have hear from them is not good at all. And you know by they time they decide to take it up, most of these employers, they have their connections. As an employee, whatever you want to do, if you want to go to court, they have lawyers that will stand for them there. So, Nigeia needs to do more. The Ministry needs to do more for workers in terms of helping their workers. As much as we are concerned, they are not doing much.
Speaking further, he said: “You see, the laws are there, but the implementation is the problem. If government can wake up and implement it, follow it to the latter. Let all employers do it the way it is in the law, then, we will not have all these problems.”
He said the ILO had always partnered with the ministry by assisting it with both technical and financial support to make the programme a success.
“The World Day for Safety and Health at Work been a program that ILo has been supporting over the years. We have been partnering with the Ministry of Labour and the NLC to make this programme a success and over the years, we have been supporting Ministry of Labour financially and technically and this year is not an exemption. We are also here to support them.” He added.
On her part, Adogu Lauretta, Director Of Factories, Federation/Occupational Safety and Health at the ministry explained the World Day for Safety and Health was a global annual event celebrated every 28 April to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases in work places.
According to her, the compliance level in the nation is not high yet, but that the ministry is working to improve awareness especially in the informal sector to ensure that employers adhere strictly to work place safety standards.
“We also have medical outreach here so that people will come test check their status, both HIV, malaria and the rest of them. The reason we came here is Gudu .We have been going to other places. Last year, we went to Kugbo. We have gone to Idu, we have gone to other places but we are here today. We are implementing the National Policy on occupational safety and Health to go into both formal and informal sector. There ere are some hazards that are inherent in such places. Like here, we learn that they use chemicals and we have chemical hazards and what are hazards ? hazards are conditions that can result in accidents and diseases. Accidents can cause injury and disability and cause a lot of problems to the family. Family of the workers or people who are working around.
“The compliance level is not yet very high, but it is coming up with this we have done at Kugbo, they are now aware of safety and health in workplaces especially in the informal sector like this place. But here, after this place, I believe there will be a lot of improvement.
Speaking further, Adogu said “The Federal Minister of Labor is a statutory ministry or statutory authority in charge of health, safety and welfare. But we know that if we ask many people here, they will tell you that it is for ASUU strike, but they don’t know that there are other things we do, like with safety of workers and we want to create awareness. Like I said, it is promotion, it is advocacy. So that people will know what the Ministry does.