The Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige has affirmed the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, to providing safe and healthy working environment aimed at stimulating decent working conditions for Nigerian workforce.
The Minister who was represented by the Director of Occupational Safety and Health Department of the Ministry, Dr. Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, stated this recently, while delivering his key note address on the occasion of the validation of the draft National Occupational Safety and Health Profile.
In his words, “a safe and healthy worker is an asset to his or her employer and the nation. Federal Government will continue to take necessary steps to add value and strengthens policies and programmes aimed at providing safe and healthy working environment and stimulate fair working conditions for all workers”
Speaking further, the Minister emphasized that a well defined and popular profile document for the promotion of social dialogue in occupational safety and health is essential for effective consultations and collaboration for a robust safety and health culture.
He added that “the validation of the Draft National Occupational Safety and Health Profile will be a catalyst to the nation’s drive to adopt international best practices in the promotion of preventive occupational safety and health culture.
Earlier in his remarks, the Country Director of ILO Mr. Demmis Zulu said that the ILO was committed to the development and preventive of OSH strategies which aimed to protect and promote workers’ health and wellbeing.
“It goes without saying that the whole issue of National Health and Safety is paramount and needs to be given the seriousness, importance and priority it deserves. For instance, there are quite a number of incidents and accidents in different sectors of Nigeria’s economy, particularly, in both the manufacturing and the construction sector. Workers who are affected by these incidents and accidents, due to lack of adherence to the minimum standards of occupational health and safety, are those between the ages of 18 and 30,” he said.
He added that the document would ensure that the manufacturing and construction sectors, among others, improve their working condition and environments.
Samuel Olowookere
Deputy Director (press)
