18/06/2024
Reminiscing on how I started SafelyAbout during my NYSC year in Ibadan.
After everyone has settled to their PPAs (mine was Oyo State Ministry of Works, Fire Service Department) and going there everyday, you know there’s usually nothing to do.
Then I decided I wanted to do more with this one year and I went for ‘apprenticeship’ work to gain field experience as an electrical engineering graduate. I registered with this electrician that came to camp during SAED, I can’t even remember how much I paid (it definitely wasn’t a lot).
So the idea was to follow him to site when he has projects to handle. In Ibadan, the projects he was getting were wiring of bungalow houses, maintenance work in older buildings and setting up the electrical fittings for someone’s new shop.
It was an exciting experience and I learnt a lot then (heck I wanted to be a contractor then😎).
This man was one of the few diligent engineers we have left because he never compromised on quality and this affected him getting some contracts even.
We also did some repair and maintenance work for a lot of families. After someone else must have done a b.ad job and an electrical problem has occurred, then they call him.
I experienced at least 5 different home incidents and they made me so an.gry. I kept saying, but this could have been avoided if the people did the right thing from the beginning or if anyone knew what to do to put out a fire before it gets far.
Then coupled with the fact I worked with Fire Service too, I heard about all the many cases they respond to all the time.
These experiences were what birthed SafelyAbout and I began to have these conversations in my small circles then. Merging the words “Safely” and “About” was simply to represent staying safe at all times, in all places.
So this is my why, and the journey has only just started. Follow us to learn as much as you can on public safety for yourself and your loved ones.