Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday said the state has raised the bar in safety of lives and property by inaugurating the Safety First Campaign and Occupational Safety Cadre, regarded as first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Governor Sanwo-Olu stated this in his keynote address at the third Lagos State Occupational Safety and Health Conference (LASOSH), held in Lagos, as he unveiled 28 Occupational Safety Officers with him as the Commandant and also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bank of Industry (BOI) as part of ensuring safety across the state.
Speaking at the conference, themed: ‘Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) as a catalyst for nation Building,’ Sanwo-Olu described groundbreaking cadre was not just a bureaucratic innovation, but a bold declaration that Lagos is setting new standards in public service professionalism.
He said such move translates, for the first time, that safety would not be treated as an ad-hoc responsibility but as a recognized career path, complete with structure, expertise, and continuity.
According to him, this step will ensure that generations of Lagosians benefit from a professional corps dedicated solely to occupational safety and health, even as he quickly noted that the future of safety lies in technology and data, which he said ‘Lagos has taken the lead with the deployment of a safety application that empowers citizens to report hazards in real time, among others.
‘As we celebrate past achievements, we must also look ahead. The future of safety lies in technology and data. Lagos has taken the lead with the deployment of a safety application that empowers citizens to report hazards in real time, drones for aerial surveillance of high-risk zones, and body cameras equipped with thermal functionalities to support compliance monitoring, enforcement, and emergency response.
‘These tools are deliberate investments in predictive governance. They allow us to identify safety issues as they emerge, study trends and patterns, and act proactively rather than reactively. This is how Lagos is setting the pace, using innovation not only to secure today but also to anticipate tomorrow,’ the governor said.
‘However, let me stress that the government cannot do it alone. The safety of Lagos is the responsibility of every stakeholder, public institutions, private enterprises, civil society, academia, and the ordinary citizen.
‘Together, we must nurture a culture where cutting corners is no longer tolerated; where safety is not seen as a cost, but as an investment in sustainability and human dignity,’ he added.
The governor, however, charged the safety officers to ensure that there was fairness and justice at all times, saying that they needed to discharge their duties responsibly.
‘If you don’t need to shut a place down, do not shut it down. If you think that what they did is just to encourage them, to speak to them, that’s all you need to do. It’s when you know that you want the full hand of the law on them, then you do not shy away from doing that. And so we need to do it responsibly, with a sense of accountability,’ he said.
Director General, Lagos State Safety Commission (LSC), Mr. Lanre Mojola, in his remarks, noted that enforcement action was reducing in the state as compliance was increasing.
‘We’re doing a lot of work in terms of regulations. Some of the regulations have been around swimming pool control, construction safety, dangerous goods, transportation. Lagos has the port. So we find out that a lot of people move things, dangerous goods, oil, gas, from Lagos to the hinterland.
‘One of the things that we’ve also done is the establishment of the Occupational Safety Officers. It’s the first in Africa. Just like the E1 was first over the weekend.
‘Today, we’re introducing 28 new Occupational Safety Officers for Lagos State Government. We intend to continue to employ more as time passes on,’ Mojola stated.
Mojola reiterated that over 20,000 facilities already registered had GPIS with pictorial evidence, saying that the Commission was leveraging AI to ensure prediction of issues before they crystallise.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Special Duties and intergovernmental Relations, Mr Olugbenga Oyerinde, pointed out that occupational and general public safety remained a top priority to the state government, adding: ‘Every Lagosian deserves to live, work, and move freely without any fear.’
The commissioner noted that this year’s conference had become a platform to host leaders of thought, Safety practitioners, policy makers, and industry players, saying that they all came together to exchange ideas, review progress, and to chart pathways for safer workplaces and safer communities.
‘This conference has become a platform to host leaders of thought, Safety practitioners, policy makers, and industry players who come together to exchange ideas, review progress, and to chart pathways for safer workplaces and safer communities,’ he said.