Tuesday, May 4, 2010

A COPY OF MY APPEAL LETTER TO ILO

My name is Ehi Iden, I am the Chief Executive Officer of Occupational Health and Safety Managers Ltd, a co-founder of Centre for Preventive Health and Advocacy, an NGO whose main focus is on Preventive Health and Occupational Safety.

In Occupational Health and Safety Managers, we have been involved in a wide variety of capacity building and development programs in Nigeria where we have been able to train a good number of people in Occupational Health and Safety. This is very core in our operational focus and it is a continuous program for us in our entire existence as an organization.

In as much as we train people to be able to primarily practice Occupational Health and Safety and also know how to draw and formulate policies in the area of safety in their workplaces, we are still bedeviled with a frustrating problem of not having enabling laws to base our practice or having a constitutional reference to enforce safety principles in workplace. The absence of such enabling laws have made organizations in Nigeria to expose workers to high risk levels to the extent that workers get maimed and even die on a daily basis in Nigeria in such a careless abandoned nature. There are no injuries reports, no statistics and the organizations are not even willing to draw up corporate safety policies because there has not been any law in Nigeria that has placed a responsibility on them to do so. The factory act and the workmen’s compensation act is an empty document in Nigeria and cannot secure the safety of Nigerian workers in their workplaces, we have visited some of organization to solicit for opportunities to allow us train their employees in Occupational Health and Safety and they bluntly tell us they do not need it. The few companies we have in Nigeria who recognize Occupational Health and Safety are the big multinationals who are running the policies constituted in their parent country of origin. The Asian companies have invaded Nigerian economy and they are killing Nigerians in their multiplied numbers through workplace accidents and it is becoming a situation where we are thinking we would have no future the way the Nigerian workplaces are being exposed to hazards of all kinds.

I will at this point give kudos to the modern day thinking Governor of Lagos State who summoned courage to call for a stakeholders conference on workplace safety in Lagos State sometime ago and he publicly declared the intentions of Lagos State Government to set up Lagos State Safety Commission which we have waited for to no avail but that move was a respite to most of us. I would not be shocked if we discover that the delay in getting this proposed safety commission set up is hinged on the absence of local enabling laws to operate the said commission.

I am most dismayed with the fact that Nigeria was among member countries that signed the Occupational Health and Safety Law in the Geneva convention of 1981 and why it is taking so long for this same law to be domesticated in to our local laws, we are yet to know. What help can the ILO render inthis direction to enable us secure the future of our dear country by influencing the Nigerian Government to sign the Geneva  law in to our local law content?

A bill on Occupational Health and Safety was initiated almost 4 years ago at the floor of the Senate by Senator Chris Anyanwu and nobody has talked about that bill and it is not even given attention. What do we do? Nigeria is our country, we can keep rolling out graduates from Universities only to get killed and maimed in their workplaces due to the absence of enabling laws to provide safety and security for workers in workplaces. Parents lose their children on daily basis to this ill situation, most women enter early widowhood because of the loss of their husbands to workplace accident which ultimately leaves the children fatherless to face harsh life’s situation that has directly or indirectly contributed to the turnover of criminality and other socio vices in our Nation.

This is an appeal to International Labour Organisation, as an arm of United Nations to please offer every help necessary to Nigeria in ensuring Occupational Health and Safety Law is in place. Our heart bleeds, we do not even know how we got here, we need you to help us out of this lawlessness in workplaces and put us on a right track to enable us go on that Nigeria may have hope and a future. The future of this Nation lies in the youth who die daily in their workplaces due to high exposure to hazards without necessary controls.

I strongly believe you will act on this cry for help.





Ehi Iden

27 comments:

  1. essien nsidibe essienJuly 24, 2010 at 11:47 AM

    this is very goo cos im about to embark on a carrer on occupational health and safety. im about to start the NEBOSH international general certificate on occupational health and safety, cos i also have interst in the safety of te Nigerian populace

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi!
    I am really inspired with your post.
    You have a good point in your blog.
    Thank you for sharing a nice concept.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would like to Thanks for the informative post. I admire the valuable information you offer in your articles. This is very core in our operational focus and it is a continuous program for us in our entire existence as an organization. Parents lose their children on daily basis to this ill situation, most women enter early widowhood because of the loss of their husbands to workplace accident which ultimately leaves the children fatherless to face harsh life’s situation that has directly or indirectly contributed to the turnover of criminality and other socio vices in our Nation. This is an appeal to International Labor Organization, as an arm of United Nations to please offer every help necessary to Nigeria in ensuring Occupational Health and Safety Law is in place. Thanks for sharing this informative post with us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, first of all, well done so far. Actually i was searching for an OHS office in Lagos State as the new WC Act requires employer to inform the OCHS of that state where the injury occurred.
    I see that ur write up was in 2010 and we are in May 2011. would you be kind to confirm if an office has been established by our amiable Governor BRF. thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Lagos State has a Safety Commision now. It is at Shagisha, CMD Road, close to Alausa Lagos.

      Delete
  5. It is almost six years since we published an article about working at height (see previous article). The sad fact is that it still accounts for a large number of fatalities and serious injuries in the workplace.

    Health and safety audit template

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lagos State Government currently has a State Safety Commission head by a Directorate. It is within the Alausa axis of Lagos. I am sure they will follow up on issues reported to them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. May I just say what a comfort to discover someone
    who really knows what they're discussing on the internet. You actually realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people need to look at this and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you are not more popular given that you definitely possess the gift.

    Also visit my web blog - www.propertywide.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  8. Simply desire to say your article is as astounding.
    The clarity in your post is just cool and i could assume you are an expert on this subject.
    Well with your permission allow me to grab your
    RSS feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the rewarding work.



    Here is my weblog ... view website

    ReplyDelete
  9. Magnificent beat ! I would like to apprentice whilst you amend your web site,
    how could i subscribe for a weblog web site? The account helped me a applicable deal.
    I had been a little bit familiar of this your broadcast
    provided brilliant clear concept

    Feel free to visit my site :: her response

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks to everyone for your very kind words and highly inspiring comments. These all started as a result of looking for a space where i could pour out my heart in all i see happen on a daily basis. I strongly believe we all cannot write or crusade about same thing, but if we all decide to speak in our little areas of interests we will be able to not only educate but bring forth some desired change even on the long run. We will not keep silent, we will keep wrinting, speaking out until change comes and this is what we need to create a future that the next generation can be proud of.
    We cannot leave things the way they are "NO" our children and the generations after them need to have a sustained future and it is our collective responsibility to make this happen.
    Let's come together and put in some form of effort to bring forth a desired change, keep hope alive, we can only make it if we try.

    I love you all, keep the comments coming.

    Thank you, ehi

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is my first time go to see at here and i am actually happy to read everthing at alone
    place.

    Review my web site; more information

    ReplyDelete
  12. I got this web page from my friend who informed me on the topic of this site and at the moment this time I am visiting this website and reading
    very informative content at this time.

    Also visit my homepage :: buy property

    ReplyDelete
  13. It's enormous that you are getting thoughts from this paragraph as well as from our argument made at this place.

    Here is my site: sizegenetics results real

    ReplyDelete
  14. Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like
    you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could
    do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit,
    but instead of that, this is great blog. An excellent read.
    I'll definitely be back.

    Check out my web blog: propertywide.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  15. That is a great tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere.

    Short but very accurate info? Appreciate your sharing this one.
    A must read post!

    Feel free to visit my blog post - rent

    ReplyDelete
  16. That is a great tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere.
    Short but very accurate info? Appreciate your sharing this one.
    A must read post!

    Here is my weblog ... rent

    ReplyDelete
  17. It's very simple to find out any topic on web as compared to textbooks, as I found this paragraph at this website.

    My web-site ... property

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi there, its fastidious paragraph regarding media print, we all
    know media is a impressive source of data.

    Here is my web page ... http://www.propertywide.co.uk/buy/search/sunbury-surrey

    ReplyDelete
  19. My relatives every time say that I am killing my time here at web,
    however I know I am getting familiarity everyday by reading such nice posts.



    Here is my site :: on front page

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is really interesting, You are a very skilled blogger.
    I've joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your great post. Also, I've shared your website
    in my social networks!

    Look into my web blog: helpful site

    ReplyDelete
  21. I have been exploring for a little bit for any
    high quality articles or blog posts on this kind of
    house . Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon
    this web site. Studying this information So i am happy to show
    that I've a very good uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I so much no doubt will make sure to don?t put out of your mind this web site and provides it a glance on a continuing basis.

    Look into my site ... triactol

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hі there just ωanted to giѵe
    you a quick heaԁs up. Тhe wоrds in
    your аrtiсle ѕeem tο be гunning off the sсrеen
    in Chrome. I'm not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I figured I'd ροѕt to let
    you know. The style and desіgn lоok greаt though!
    Hopе уоu get thе issue resοlvеd soon.
    Manу thanks

    my ωeb page :: kate dircksen

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hello there, simply became alert to your blog via Google, and found that it's truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I'll appreciate when you continue this in future.

    A lot of other folks shall be benefited from your writing.
    Cheers!

    Look into my web-site ... Sacha Schoenen Online

    ReplyDelete
  24. I am really impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your weblog.
    Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it
    is rare to see a great blog like this one nowadays.


    My blog post :: more tips here

    ReplyDelete