By Victor Ahiuma-Young

Workers who have suffered life-changing injuries in the line of duty are getting a fresh lease of life as the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) intensifies efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate victims of workplace accidents through its Employees’ Compensation Scheme, ECS..

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NSITF, Mr. Oluwaseun Faleye, said the scheme has continued to restore hope, dignity, and confidence to injured workers by providing medical support, rehabilitation services, and prosthetic limbs to beneficiaries across the country.

Faleye spoke in Abuja during the presentation of prosthetic limbs to 10 beneficiaries under the scheme, describing the initiative as part of the Fund’s commitment to ensuring that workers affected by occupational hazards are not abandoned.

Represented by the General Manager, Claims and Compensation, Mrs. Nkiru Ogunnike, the NSITF boss said the Employees’ Compensation Scheme goes beyond statutory compensation and reflects a humane commitment to helping victims rebuild their lives.

According to him, workplace accidents often leave victims with not only physical injuries but also emotional trauma and uncertainty about the future.

“For many Nigerian workers, a single workplace incident can permanently alter the course of their lives. However, the intervention of the NSITF through the ECS provides a second chance for victims to rebuild their lives and regain independence,” he said.

Faleye highlighted the experiences of some beneficiaries as evidence of the impact of the scheme.
He cited the case of Daniel Etim, a staff member of the University of Uyo Printing Press, who lost his arm in May 2024 after it was trapped in an industrial machine during routine work.

According to him, the NSITF fully covered Daniel’s medical expenses and later provided him with a prosthetic arm to aid his rehabilitation.

“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,” Faleye stated.

He added that Daniel’s experience underscored the broader mandate of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme as a social protection mechanism designed to ensure that workers who suffer workplace injuries, disabilities, occupational diseases, or death are not abandoned in moments of vulnerability.

The NSITF boss also recounted the story of another beneficiary, Festus Okpara of Tower Aluminium Laos, who lost his hand in a workplace accident in 2015 and struggled for years with emotional trauma and public stigma associated with his condition.

He said the Fund provided Festus with a silicone prosthetic hand, helping him regain physical confidence and a renewed sense of inclusion.

“NSITF provided Festus with a silicone prosthetic hand, helping him regain not only physical confidence but also a renewed sense of inclusion and self-worth,” he added.

Speaking during the event, Festus expressed gratitude to the NSITF for the intervention.

“I thank NSITF for coming all this way to help. At least with this artificial hand, I can go out in public and feel free. NSITF has reduced the level of trauma,” he said.

Faleye stressed that the interventions represented more than institutional obligations, noting that they symbolised hope, restoration, and reassurance that injured workers would not be left alone to cope with tragedy.

The NSITF recently fitted 78 beneficiaries with artificial limbs under its ongoing rehabilitation and reintegration programme.