By Victory Bernard
Safety professionals have been urged to look to nature for new ways of preventing workplace accidents and building more sustainable systems.
The call was made at the Sustainability Innovation Conference 2.0 held at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Conference and Exhibition Centre, Ikeja, Lagos, on September 5, during the launch of Dr. Julius Abanshebe Akpong’s book, Biomimicry: Nature’s Guide to Multi-Industry Accident Prevention.
Biomimicry is the practice of studying how nature solves problems and applying those lessons to human systems.
Delivering the keynote address, Engr. Lovelyn Okoye, Head of Sustainability at Seven-Up Bottling Company said organisations must become more resilient by learning from nature.
She asked participants to consider how natural systems provide solutions to human challenges, noting that nature operates with finite resources and does not create waste in the way human systems often do.
“What is nature doing that we need to learn from?” she asked. “There is no waste in nature. Waste can be channeled to another process.”
“Energy becomes efficient. People need to be resilient. There has to be collaboration. Nature is the oldest design. We must tilt towards biomimicry to achieve sustainability,” Okoye said.
The ESG Governor also noted that attempts to solve one problem can sometimes create another, stressing that nature has spent billions of years refining solutions that humans can study and adapt.
“Nature has spend billions of years refining solution,” she said, urging organisations to “tilt towards nature” and continually review their strategies to make them sustainable.
Speaking on the book, Dr. Julius Abanshebe Akpong, said his interest in biomimicry developed from his work in climate change and sustainability.
Akpong highlighted the scale of the occupational safety challenge, saying, “2.7 million people die every year from occupational safety crisis,” while describing the book as “a call to action” and urging professionals to come on board.
“I saw biomimicry in Chemistry. I want the book to make impact in reducing deaths in the country every year,” Akpong said.
He said the book is structured into five sections covering the problem, biomimicry and its applications, with the aim of helping organisations translate lessons from nature into practical safety measures.
“Nature does not waste. If you see any waste in the environs, man has brought it there,” he said.
In his review of the book, Seun Awojobi, Technical Adviser to the Lagos State Safety Commission, said the book would greatly impact the future of safety activities in education and regulation.
Awojobi, who was represented at the event by Mr. Bode, said the book has the “potential to influence how safety curricula is taught,” identifying the book’s audience to be “researchers, engineers, safety professionals, regulators and policy makers.”
He also highlighted the relevance of organisational structures and regulatory frameworks in strengthening safety practice.
Awojobi stressed that biomimicry is not about abandoning existing safety approaches. “It does not say we should abandoned all we have done but to learn from the most successful safety engineer of all- existence,” he said.
The book launch attracted professionals and stakeholders from across the safety, security and sustainability sectors, including CEO, Hybrid Group Limited, Dapo Omolade; CEO, Africa Safety Award for Excellence (AfriSAFE), Femi Da-Silva; Founder, QHSES Leadership Academy, Jamiu Badmus.
Also present were General Manager, Lagos State Command and Control Centre, Femi Kennedy Giwa; National President, Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON), Chief (Dr.) Stephen Udezi L.A.; and Executive Director, SafetyPlus, Mr. Tokumbo Odebunmi.
Others include, Executive Director, Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), Agharese Lucia Onaghise; Principal Management Consultant, FYNEXUS Limited, Fyneray Mbata; and Immediate Past National Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers (NISafetyE), Engr. Seun Faluyi.
Technical Director, Safety Consultants & Solution Providers Limited (SCSP), Anthonia Beri; Governor General, SafERR Ambassadors Directorate, World Safety Organization (WSO Nigeria) Amb. Rev. Dr. Wilson Arikpo; and CEO, SHE Safety and Health Initiative (SHE SHI) Amb. Mabel Abel Onaiwu, were also present at the book launch, among others.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of Akpong’s “Biomimicry: Nature’s Guide to Multi-Industry Accident Prevention”, which explores how lessons from nature can be applied to accident prevention and sustainability across industries.
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