**Provides them with prosthesis, orthopaedic devices
The Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has put smiles on the faces of over 50 workers this year who have suffered from body injury or loss of body parts with Prosthesis and othorpeadic technology devises to enable them carry on in live under the Employee Compensation Scheme(ECS) of the Fund.
At the ceremony where one of the batches of beneficiaries were given the devices in Abuja, the general manager Cooperate Affairs of the organisation Mrs Ijeoma Orji said the fund is determined to deliver on its mandate to workers injured in the course of performing their jobs
The Employee compensation Scheme (ECS) of the NSITF is a product of the Employee Compensation Act 2010 which provides for the payment of compensation to all employees in both public and private sectors.
“It is in furtherance of the delivery of its mandate that the NSITF empowered over 50 workers injured in the course of performing their jobs with Prosthesis, orthopeadic devices. Okoronkwo said the Fund has been apt in providing the needed support to injured workers.
“By section section 26(1) of our act, the NSITF board and of course the fund has the power to provide for the injured employee any medical, surgical, hospital, nursing or other care or treatment.”
She added that a large number of workers with one disability or the other suffered in the course of duty have been on a monthly payroll of the NSITF.
“The scheme which has been empowered by the employee compensation act of 2010 provides that workers should be insured with the scheme and what it means is that all employers are mandated to pay 1% of the total emolument of their workers into the scheme and once that is done the scheme will cover them.”
Four of the beneficiaries including a banker Geoffrey Ubaga who was involved in an auto crash, Osundu Okwudiri Samuel former staff of EEDC, who lost one upper limb and a lower limb while working to restore electric power, Ifeoma Ayogu, a former staff of Paiko pharmaceutical industry and Abdullahi Musa who spoke appreciated NSITF for coming to their rescue.
Okwudiri said he lost his limbs as a result of while restoring power in October 5th , 2017,
He said he had almost finished with the restoration when at the last point for him to close the jumper, immediately he used the negative to touch the outgoing not incoming, light came from the back to strike him. He lost his hand and leg
He said, “If not for the Nigeria Social Investment Trust Fund he would have been gone, he said they are still paying him his salary.
“Like this artificial limbs I don’t think anybody will do it for me”
Ubaga said he was involved in an auto crash which also led to amputation. Many people are not aware of such scheme in place that can take care of people after such disaster that life can actually go on after the accident
Ifeoma Ayogu from Enugu. This thing happened to me when the chain of the machine grabbed my leg
The beneficiaries appealed for sustained publicity to created awareness to make more Nigerians key into the compensation scheme of the NSITF