By Etop Ekanem

Leading industry drivers and professionals in the background check industry in Nigeria has teamed up to establish an independent non-profit trade association of a professional body named Society for Professional Background Screeners (SPBS).

The association aims to promote ethical business practices, foster awareness of the need for a background check as a security risk imperative, and establish acceptable and evidence-based standards for background screening professionals in Nigeria.

SPBS will also advance industry objectives by providing the standards, competencies development, operating framework, support, and forum for practice-exchange of innovation and ideas, with the use of technology.

The pioneer chairman of the association, Mr. Kola Olugbodi, speaking at the event ‘Standardization of Identity Verification and Background Checks as National Security Imperative’ to announce the birth of the new industry body, said background check is the first line of security management need to be strengthened and harmonized for more qualitative and effective service delivery.

“To bring sanity to the state of insecurity in the country, every stakeholder should make effort to contribute his/her quota. All hands must be on deck to change the negative narrative. As key stakeholders in the security sector involved in the process of investigating, verifying and validating someone’s record, we have found it important to work together for improved service delivery hence the formation of this association,” he declared.

Mr. Olugbodi, who is also Chief Executive Officer, Background Check International further state the aim of the body to include “self-regulation, standardization of practice, making background checking a regular practice by an individual and corporate organization and also making serious efforts to curtail the seemingly teething problems of the industry which is the void of collation and organization data.”

Corroborating the urgent need to create a national body like SPBS, Managing Director, Halogen Group and member of the Board of Trustees of the new association, Mr. Wale Olaoye, disclose that the association has been created to shape up the security space and make it more vibrant and proactive.

Citing many fatal national and individual security case studies which, according to him, would have been mitigated, if background screening was carried out, he counselled that background checks should be taken more seriously. Stressing the need for the creation of criminal records in the country to nip in the bud integrity issues mostly experienced in the industrial sector.

To support the continuous capacity building and establish acceptable standards for background screening in Nigeria, key professionals in the industry have come together to announce the birth of an umbrella body named: the Society for Professional Background Screeners, (SPBS).

“The issue of National security in the country today has no single silver bullet that can solve it but there are non-kinetic sides of risk management that can help mitigate it if we start today by embracing background screening. SPBS has come as a proactive body to create more awareness; set policies and standards for global practices and ensure it is inculcated into our national security architecture. “

The workshop had in attendance security stakeholders and professionals including Mr Disun Vera-Cruz, Chief Operating Officer, Town Talk, Mr Peter Okoloh, Executive Chair, ASIS, Lagos Chapter, Mr Abubakar Abdulkadir Jelani, Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), Mr Oluseyi Akinkugbe, Head of Strategy, Youverify, Mr Ope Olugasa, CEO Law Pavilion, Mr Dayo Abegunde, Director VSS, Halogen Group and Engineer Mustapha Lusty, CEO Kontz Engineering among many others notable industry personality.