By Gabriel Olawale

ABEOKUTA—FORMER Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel yesterday, raised the alarm over financial and manpower losses resulting from non compliance with safety measures in the country even as he blamed lack of enforcement of existing laws for most cases.

Gov Gbenga Daniel

Daniel who spoke at the 2017 Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers, NISE regretted that most of the people who perpetrate atrocities that claimed many lives get away without commensurate penalty.

“In Nigeria we have so many cases of building collapse, road accidents, fire incidents among others and most of them are not investigated not to talk of penalising those responsible. Once we enforce our laws, we will have a different attitude to safety, he said.

Daniel who was represented by the Managing Director of Kresta Laurel Ltd, Engr. Dideolu Falobi said that most of the building collapses in the country were due to lack of proper mortgage system. “Because we do not have proper mortgage system, people go into mortgage without funding. When they don’t have enough funds in most cases, they tend to undercut,’’ he said.

He however tasked the Nigerian Society of Engineers to ensure that every registered engineer becomes a member of the NISE. There should also be training packages such that every member of the institution must undergo the training before being certified as a Safety Engineer.

On his part, the National Chairman of NISE, Engr. Abiodun Oyedepo, said that superlative industrial and public safety can become reality in Nigeria if safety and building laws are updated.

He tasked Nigerians to imbibe and implement safety procedures and policies in their respective sphere of influence.

“There is need for safety contract between government and the governed, between employers and employees to ensure and assure the safety of persons, processes, facilities, and structures, among others.