The Pioneer DG/Chief Executive Officer of Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC), Mrs. Dominga Odebunmi has described the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity for younger generations to re-shape the future.
Dominga made this known while delivering a keynote paper on Sustaining OHS Legacy; Leadership by Example as part of the 3rd series of the Dr B.F. Oluwagbemi Annual Safety Colloquium held on 12 June, 2020.
In the paper titled Unmasking OHS Leadership in Pandemic times and Beyond, Dominga said that COVID-19 has exposed the various gaps within each governance, especially as it relates to Occupational Health and Safety swift intervention in support for Health practitioners resilience.
According to her, COVID-19 has forced the need to appreciate Occupational Health and Safety as individuals and collectively for the now and the new norm.
She emphasized that the pandemic is an opportunity for millennials to begin to build resilience of strong leadership for their future in preparing for any future pandemic occurrences.
“The generation that is experiencing this present pandemic should look at it as an opportunity to reshape the future with the necessary tools required within health & safety knowledge.
“We need more vibrant leaders, young ones to actively embrace and develop software’s, coding and decoding for HSE.
“HSE recognises emergencies may occur especially if unavoidable, we can however let the circle of incidences meet resilient structures and resilient safety cultured people. With this on ground, OHS will be sustainable.”
The Pioneer DG of Lagos State Safety Commission stressed that the purpose of Leadership is to successfully take people from a place to a desire destination.
“A Leader follows a Leader who is also following another Leader. Leadership by example is a reflection of Leadership Commitment”.
Dominga further urged OSH Leaders to understand and embrace the difference between Safety Climate and Safety Culture, own the benefits of the two and aggressively drive them sustainably.
Accoding to her, leaders must continue to create safe enabling environment and embrace technology for the sustainability of Occupational Health and Safety”
She concluded that it’s time to take knees off the neck of HSE in Nigeria.
