Safety culture in Nigeria and the concept of village people

BY EMMANUEL UNAEGBU

A couple of years ago while undergoing a professional safety training course, the trainer shared a video of an incident that led to the amputation of a factory worker’s leg. If only he was not working alone, a coworker could have been able to rescue him. But no, it was a case of lone working on a rotating machine, and it was a nerve crunching sight!

But the focus of this article is not on the ugliness of the injury but on the view of the trainees. “His village people are after him” was the response from one of the trainees and he seemed to have echoed the perception of many in the class. Guess what? We laughed at the statement of his village people being responsible for his injuries. Yes, we saw the comic side to his permanent disabling experience.

Years down the line, the phrase “village people” is now commonplace. That road accident, village people! This workplace injury, village people!! That sad fatality, village people!!! 

I remember telling a friend about a driver who went on his first trip for a company with established drug and alcohol policy, but was seen consuming an alcoholic drink on duty, which resulted in his immediate termination. He laughed and said, his village people are following him.

Why the mismatch? Is the concept of “village people” related to our culture and traditions? How much influence does the concept of village people have on the overall culture of safety in Nigeria? Do we really believe that village people are responsible for accidents? Is it just for comic?

Let’s reflect on safety culture. According to the 1993 definition by Great Britain Advisory Committee on Nuclear Installation, safety culture of an organisation “is the product of individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies, and patterns of behaviour that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, an organisation’s health and safety management”.

In simple words, it is the sum of beliefs, perceptions and attitudes towards safety in the work environment by all stakeholders.

In his article, “the safety of cultures,” Nick Hallale posited that difference in cultural practices could create communication gaps and misinterpretations because we see things through the filters of our societies. He makes reference to Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory, which shows how society’s culture shapes the values and behavoiur of its people.

For this author, the connection of “village people” with accidents and rule breaking is very much related to blame shifting patterns within our society, which has developed over time.

But what is this concept of village people? The concept of village people suggests that the misfortunes a person suffers is the handiwork of evil manipulation usually in the spiritual realm orchestrated by witches and wizards from the person’s village (oftentimes hundreds of miles away). 

In fact, in more recent times, we hear the phrase, “no be juju be that?”

Not wanting to be prejudice on the subject, I reached out to some colleagues to weigh their view on the concept of ‘village people” and if it in anyway influences safety culture in our society.

Paraphrasing, “yes, the concept tends to shift responsibility of a failing (in this case, safety violation, which has resulted in an accident with consequences) to another person manipulating the decision of the victim (violator)”. Viewpoint of a colleague.

Another said, “the concept of village people is very much related to our religious beliefs, which tends to connect misfortune with the works of evil men and women but not the unsafe act or condition”.

The blame-shifting to village people is linked to the acceptance of “wickedness in the spirit” as part of everyday reality in our society.

I remember a viral video of a young man (somewhere in Lagos) using a clothing material to stop flow from a leaking petroleum product tanker while riding the truck. In addition to being susceptible to fall and being crushed by other moving vehicles, he is exposed to the risk for fire with high potential for escalation. Hear me, when that calamity results, it cannot be his village people.

Also, there was a video of a loaded petroleum product truck tilting to one side and yet driven on our highway without caution and consequence. Again, when that truck topples, it has nothing to do with village people.

We have seen images and videos of sedan cars loaded with items reaching heights of 3 meters that should normally fit into an open back five-tonne truck, moving on very rough terrain. Again, it has nothing to do with village people but a complete neglect of safety protocols against overloading.

We see motorcycle riders (popularly called Okada rider) on very high speed without helmets. A significant number of these okada crashes result in head injury and fatality. It is not village people but blatant violation of road safety laws of the land.

Drunk driving resulting in an accident has nothing to do with village people. It is a primary safety rule to not drink and drive.

Our challenge as a society is one of poor safety culture influenced by our values and beliefs. But this narrative can be changed. By applying control measures (a motorcycle or a bicycle rider wearing a helmet, driving that vehicle within control speed limit, using a body harness when working at height, not drinking and driving, not texting while driving and the list goes on) we can eliminate hazards and lower risk exposures.

Ordinarily, safety culture and awareness in Nigeria is way below acceptable levels with the exception of the petroleum industry and to some extent, the construction industry. Sadly, the concept of village people is further eroding that little awareness.

As we commemorate the 2022 World Day of Safety and Health at Work, this day 28th April 2022 with the theme “act together to build a positive safety and health culture”, there has to be a social dialogue on creating positive safety culture, not just in the workplace but also at home and on the streets. As is often said, ‘safety is everyone’s business.’

But creating a strong safety culture in the workplace, in our homes, and on the streets can only be achieved when everyone (the government, employers and employees) values the need for a safe environment. Thus, moving away from the culture of shifting responsibility for an unsafe act and/or unsafe condition from our ‘village people’. Essentially, government agencies should enforce established health and safety regulations with sincerity of purpose, with employers providing the needed health and safety resources and the employee cooperating with the employer in the utilization of those resources.

In the finally analysis, we can improve safety culture in Nigeria if we act together. Have a safe 2022 and beyond.

Emmanuel Unaegbu, an environment, health and safety professional, can be reached on Twitter via @emmalysis