FUTMinna Hosts 116th Inaugural Lecture, Prof. Shittu Advocates Hybrid Safety Strategy for Nigerian Construction Sector

The Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT Minna), recently hosted its 116th Inaugural Lecture, delivered by QS. Prof. Abdullateef Adewale Shittu, a Professor of Quantity Surveying.

The lecture, titled "Enhancing the Adoption of Occupational Health and Safety in the Nigerian Construction Industry: Combination of Digital Technologies and Traditional Approach to Safety," highlighted the need for a more robust safety culture in Nigeria's construction industry.

Prof. Shittu emphasized the importance of combining traditional health and safety practices with modern digital technologies to enhance safety in the construction industry. He proposed a flexible, cost-effective hybrid safety model tailored for the Nigerian context, which integrates traditional safety management with scalable digital innovations.

The Professor of Quantity Surveying identified several challenges limiting the adoption of digital technologies in Nigeria, including erratic power supply, high implementation costs, and weak regulatory enforcement. He called for interdisciplinary collaboration among stakeholders to drive a cultural shift toward safety consciousness and encouraged further research focused on embedding safety behaviors into digital systems.

Prof. Shittu stressed that safety is a shared responsibility and that cultivating the right mindset, supported by smart tools and strong leadership, will create safer workspaces and significantly reduce accident rates in construction sites.

The Vice-Chancellor of FUT Minna, Prof. Faruk Adamu Kuta, commended Prof. Shittu for delivering an insightful and timely lecture that offers practical solutions to longstanding safety challenges in Nigeria's construction industry. He noted that the proposed model provides a viable roadmap for protecting lives, promoting safety compliance, and fostering a safety-first culture in the sector.