Shell urges contractors to strengthen safety standards in Nigeria

Shell has called on its contracting partners to sustain high safety standards across their operations in Nigeria, stressing that safety must remain the first measure of success in delivering energy projects.

The company made the call on Tuesday, August 18, at its annual Shell Leadership and Contractor CEO Conference held in Lagos for chief executives of contracting companies.

The conference, themed “Learn. Adapt. Improve.”, focused on strengthening collaboration between Shell and its contractors around people, performance and operational safety.

Speaking at the event, Shell’s Executive Vice President and Country Chair, Nigeria, Elohor Aiboni, said the company was implementing a broad portfolio of projects and operations aimed at supporting Nigeria’s growing energy needs, creating value for stakeholders and contributing to national development.

She, however, stressed that the scale or importance of any project could not take precedence over safety.

“However significant the opportunity, no matter how important the project, our success will always be measured first by how safely we deliver it,” Aiboni said.

She added that every person working for Shell or on its behalf deserved to return home safely to their families every day.

The conference featured discussions on operational lessons, an exhibition, as well as awards and recognition for contractors who recorded outstanding safety performances.

A major highlight was the signing of a Leadership Charter jointly developed in 2025 by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company and its contractor partners.

Speaking before the signing, SNEPCo Managing Director, Ronald Adams, said the theme of the conference aligned with the objectives of the charter.

He said the commitment to learning required stakeholders to be honest about what had worked, what had proved difficult and what workers and operations were indicating.

Adams said adapting meant adjusting approaches where operational realities required improvement, while improving required ensuring that commitments made under the charter became part of everyday leadership, engagement, performance reviews and safe execution.

He urged contractors and Shell personnel to ensure that the commitments were reflected in their daily operations rather than discussed only during conferences.

The annual conference is intended to reinforce collaboration between Shell and its contractors while promoting continuous improvement in safety and operational performance across the company’s Nigerian operations.