The Director-General of Lagos State Safety Commission, Dr. Lanre Omojola has identified safety as a major criterion that must be addressed in order to have a sustainable facility management.
At a recent special colloquium, organised by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Nigeria chapter, in partnership with the Big 5 Construct Nigeria, in Lagos, Omojola harped on the importance and need to identify safety issues and deal with them before they crystalise into disaster that can hamper the facility.
According to him, “the safety commission was basically set up to ensure safety for a state that is increasing in population. And we are doing this in a very coordinated, in a very specific and calculated manner by looking at different sectors within the built environment and how we can ensure that people are protected. Because, again, that is the major task of what we do.
“We save lives by ensuring that there are no accidents that can lead to injuries, accidents that can lead to fatalities or permanent disability. Everything we do at the commission to keep a state of 24 million people safe is within the four Es of evaluation of risks, engagement, education and enforcement”.
On the need for sustainable facility management, IFMA Nigeria President, Mr. Olalekan Akinwunmi identified sustainable facility management as a core component of the people, environment and the economy at large. He said that facility management is all about the people, the environment, and the economy, and, “if the environment is not safe, you cannot carry out any economic activities”.
He said IFMA Nigeria has been in existence for over 27 years and it has continued to advocate for a sustainable facility management, especially in buildings. “We have continued to create awareness about the facility management principle from the inception of any building project”, he said.
The Managing Director of Benign Space, Modupe Odude, who spoke on ‘The Role of Technology in Sustainable Facility Management’, said that technology plays a huge role in sustainable facility management.
She further said that right from the inception of a building, stakeholders have been able to leverage technology better when it comes to the facility management space, adding: “We can also improve towards taking in real-time data and real-time information from these building information systems. And these are things that we’re seeing within the space. With this software, you can be intrusive and manage issues or challenges within the line, say, the water treatment system or the line.
“And then you have some that will just be more or less like a flag off to let you know or alert you or make you aware that there’s an issue that needs to be attended to. So within the country, there’s been an improved adoption.
“And I think this is also supported by the fact that we’re having more growth within the environment. We have technology and policies that have gradually supported that space towards leveraging technology better when it comes to the facility management space”.
Other speakers at the event included COO Freedom Park, Ms. Iyabode Aboaba; Managing Partner of Jagun Associates, Mr. Stephen Ola Jagun; and Immediate Past President of IFMA Nigeria, Mr. Segun Adebayo.
The immensely popular event brought together industry players in the built ecosystem to identify and proffer solutions to issues affecting the industry.
