A United Kingdom-based organisation, the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSH Association UK), has bestowed an Honorary Fellowship Award of the Association on the Director-General/Chief Executive of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Sir Joseph N. Ari.
According to the Association, the award was in appreciation of the DG’s “invaluable contributions to entrenching occupational health and safety in the Fund and ensuring that contributing employers adhere to occupational health and safety standards.”
According to a statement issued Friday by the Director, Public Affairs Department, Suleyol Fred-Chagu, in his acceptance speech, the DG expressed delight and appreciated the Association for the award.
He noted that as the foremost human capacity development organisation in Nigeria, the ITF was charged with the responsibility of setting and maintaining training standards in all sectors of the economy and monitoring adherence amongst other responsibilities.
“In the discharge of our mandate, the ITF has over the years implemented several training programmes in occupational health and safety for both staff of the Fund and our stakeholders.
“It was in recognition of the important place of occupational health and safety in organisations that the ITF made it a key criterion for granting training reimbursement to contributing employers. This is aimed at encouraging employers of labour to carry out safety training and adhere to safety protocols in their various organisations.
“I feel greatly delighted and honoured to have been conferred with the award of an Honorary Fellow of this great Association. This is not only a rare privilege but also an encouragement to do more,” the statement read in part.
It would be recalled that earlier in the year, the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) presented the ITF DG with an Award of Excellence for Exceptional Contribution to Human Resource Development.
The Business Education and Examinations Council (BEEC) also presented the DG an Award for Excellence in Youths Empowerment through training.
