The Institution of Safety Professionals of Nigeria said it would begin a clampdown on firms and individuals providing safety services in Nigeria without approval.
The Institute said according to the provisions of section 14 of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria Act 2014, it was a crime for organisations and individuals to practise and provide safety services without its certification.
The ISPON, Secretary, National Committee on Safety Ethics, Compliance and Enforcement, Fasusi Olayinka, said this during the institute’s first Rivers State Safety Conference and Award 2023, themed: ‘Effective Management in an Emerging Economy’, held at the University of Port Harcourt on Thursday.
Olayinka stated, “In section 14 of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria Act 2014, it is stated that it’s a common practice in Nigeria today that when you ask someone how are you, they would say I am a safety professionals just because they work as safety officers in their organisation.
“Making that statement alone is against the law. It’s a crime, it’s a criminal offence and the law has set out how they should be handled and if they are found guilty, they should be prosecuted.
“So everybody according to the ISPON act, 2014, every organisation that wants to practise as a safety consulting firm or provide safety services in this country by law must be registered and accredited by ISPON.”
In his keynote lecture earlier, a university don at the University of Port Harcourt, Prof Ifeanyi Nwaogazie, said the major problem hindering Nigeria’s development was the government’s lack of political will to promote research that would proffer solutions to challenges affecting the citizenry.
