NIRPR Ibadan opens five-day training on safety, security of radioactive materials

On Monday, the National Institute of Radiation Protection and Research (NIRPR), Ibadan, opened the 2023 national training course for Radiation Safety Officers (RSOs) in Industrial Radiography and Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials.

NIRPR is a technical support organisation of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), which regulates radiation safety and protection in the country and ensures safeguards for the protection of Nigerians and the environment.

At the opening of the five-day certification training course, held at the University of Ibadan where the NIRPR office is located, the Director General of the NNRA, Dr Idris Yau Usman, urged the participants to invest their minds in the training and use what they learn to enhance their competence and improve their performance at the facilities they work for.

The General Manager of the NIRPR, Ibadan, Dr Samuel Oyeyemi, who delivered the message of the NNRA DG, said that in the course of the training, which is both physical and virtual, the participants will be acquainted with current global happenings with respect to safety and security of radioactive sources.

The resource persons for the training course, which is based on the approved International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) training syllabus for radiation safety officers, include the Manager, Environmental Monitoring at NNRA, Dr Latifat Owoade, who also works directly with the NIRPR, Ibadan.

Dr Oyeyemi told the Nigerian Tribune, “At this training course, we will be having in-depth lectures and discussions on what the regulation expects of them (the participants) with regard to what they do in their facilities, the accidents or sabotage that may occur within the facilities and how to mitigate such occurrences.”

“For instance, there is terrorism in different parts of the world today and there is the possibility of somebody trying to subvert the activities of a facility by gaining access to a radioactive source and then trying to sell it to non-state actors who can use it for terrorism purposes.

“We are going to ensure that they are brought up to speed on global best practices in order to increase their competence and make sure there is no compromise in the safety and security of radioactive materials.”

He noted that in the process of transporting radioactive sources, there is the need for the officers involved to be security conscious and make sure that the materials are not intercepted or gained access to by elements who might want to use them to destroy the environment.

The NIRPR GM, in emphasising the dangers associated with ionising radiation, reiterated that officers handling radioactive materials must ensure its safe use and see that its benefit outweighs the risk for the generality of the people.

“Because we don’t see it, the general public does not know about it. That is why the NNRA is saddled with the responsibility of tracking ionising radiation in the country. So, for any equipment that emits radiation, the NNRA has the responsibility to monitor it to ensure the safe use of that ionising radiation such that it does not get into the wrong hands that might use it for malicious purposes.

“These are the reasons the NNRA is ensuring that as we train the users, we inform the public about the dangers associated with it,” he said.

He noted that “At the NIRPR, we carry out research, standardisation of radiation measuring equipment, which is referred to as calibration, and we carry out training for stakeholders in radiation matters to increase their technical competence. It is so part of the objectives of this training to certify the radiation safety officers.”

According to him, the organisation also carries out periodic, sensitisation of members of the public about the use of ionising radiation in different practices and how to safeguard themselves from the risk of unnecessary exposure.

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