The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund has intensified efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate workers injured in the course of duty through its Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS), with the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Fund, Oluwaseun Faleye, declaring that no Nigerian worker should be abandoned after suffering workplace accidents.
Faleye made the declaration in Abuja during the presentation of prosthetic limbs to 10 beneficiaries under the Fund’s rehabilitation and reintegration programme.
Represented by the General Manager, Claims and Compensation, Nkiru Ogunnike, the NSITF boss described the intervention as a practical demonstration of government’s commitment to workers’ welfare and social protection.
He said the Employees’ Compensation Scheme had continued to serve as a critical support system for workers whose lives had been disrupted by industrial accidents, occupational diseases and other workplace hazards.
According to him, the scheme was designed not only to provide financial compensation but also to restore injured workers physically, emotionally and psychologically to enable them reintegrate into society with dignity and confidence.
“For many Nigerian workers, a single workplace incident can permanently alter the course of their lives. Through the intervention of the NSITF as administrators of the ECS, affected workers are given a second chance to rebuild their lives and regain independence,” he said.
Faleye cited the case of Daniel Etim, a staff member of the University of Uyo Printing Press, whose arm was amputated after it became trapped in an industrial machine during routine work in May 2024.
He explained that the Fund covered the victim’s medical expenses and later provided him with a prosthetic arm to support his rehabilitation and restore functionality.
“Beyond the payment of medical bills, the Fund extended further rehabilitative support by providing him with a prosthetic arm, reaffirming its commitment not only to compensation but also to restoring dignity, confidence and functionality to injured workers,” he added.
The NSITF chief also highlighted the experience of Festus Okpara, an employee of Tower Aluminium Laos, who lost his hand in a workplace accident in 2015 and reportedly endured years of emotional trauma and social discomfort.
According to Faleye, the provision of a silicone prosthetic hand by the Fund had helped Okpara regain confidence and interact more freely in public.
“Beyond the trauma of the accident itself was the constant public attention, the quizzical looks and the pitying stares that made social interactions difficult. The intervention of the NSITF has helped restore his sense of inclusion and self-worth,” he stated.
Speaking during the event, Okpara expressed appreciation to the Fund for what he described as life-changing support.
“I thank NSITF for coming all this way to help. At least with this, I can go out in public and feel free. NSITF has reduced the level of trauma,” he said.
The latest intervention forms part of the Fund’s ongoing rehabilitation and reintegration initiative, under which 78 beneficiaries have recently been fitted with artificial limbs.
The Employees’ Compensation Scheme was established under the Employees’ Compensation Act of 2010 to provide compensation for workers who suffer injuries, disabilities, diseases or death arising from workplace activities.
The scheme, financed through employer contributions, replaced the defunct Workmen’s Compensation Act in a bid to broaden social protection for workers in both the public and private sectors.
Labour stakeholders have continued to raise concerns over poor workplace safety standards in sectors such as manufacturing, construction and heavy industry, where industrial accidents remain prevalent.
Analysts say the increasing rehabilitation and compensation interventions by the NSITF are gradually strengthening public confidence in Nigeria’s social insurance framework while drawing attention to the need for stricter enforcement of occupational safety regulations nationwide.
