NECA and NSITF are intensifying their efforts to make workplaces across Nigeria safer, warning that negligence, poor awareness, and a weak safety culture continue to put Nigerian workers at risk of preventable injuries and deaths. The renewed push was announced on Friday in Abuja, ahead of the NSITF-NECA Safe Workplace Intervention Project 2025 interactive enlightenment forums and award ceremonies. The SWIP initiative aims to enhance workplace safety through audits of corporate workplaces, focusing on safety policies, infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and compliance with national and international best practices. In 2025, 200 companies and organizations were audited across the six geopolitical zones, and five ambulances, along with other safety equipment, will be awarded to outstanding performers at the ceremony. Speaking at the event, NECA Director-General Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde emphasized the critical nature of workplace safety, often overlooked by both employers and employees. Oyerinde noted that occupational safety and health have been elevated to a core convention by the International Labour Organisation, making it a binding obligation for all member states. He stated, 'Health and safety are no longer optional; they are human rights issues. Labour is not a commodity; there are human beings behind every job.' Oyerinde highlighted the irreversible nature of workplace accidents and the need to address emerging challenges like remote work, artificial intelligence, and home-based accidents. He also stressed the importance of personal responsibility in safety, warning that employees who remain silent in unsafe environments are complicit. The audit process, Oyerinde explained, is evidence-based and evaluates policies, behavior, leadership, emergency preparedness, and implementation. Compliance levels, he noted, were average for a developing country. NSITF Managing Director/CEO Oluwaseun Faleye described SWIP as a key tool for driving private-sector compliance with workplace safety and employee compensation laws. Faleye emphasized the importance of stakeholder engagement and collaboration with NECA, which has been very effective. The 2025 SWIP activities, delayed into early 2026 due to operational exigencies, will officially kick off in Lagos on January 20, followed by Enugu, and a grand finale in Abuja on January 27. The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Salihu Usman, commended NECA and NSITF for sustaining SWIP, describing it as a model of effective collaboration. He noted that the ministry's Occupational Safety and Health Department actively participated as a technical partner to ensure alignment with national standards and global best practices. The emphasis on transparency, digitalized audit reporting, capacity building, and structured feedback aligns with the vision for a modern and credible occupational safety and health system, supporting the Employees' Compensation Act 2010 and the Federal Government's commitment to worker welfare, productivity, and sustainable development.
