Forty-year-old Taiwo Adebola bade his young family goodbye as he left for work on a Tuesday morning in June 2024. His wife, Shade, reminded him to send the two thousand Naira needed to process her online registration for employment with a government agency.
However, the call she received next disrupted all plans. Her husband was lying in a hospital bed, severely injured in a road accident just a few meters from his office. She borrowed money from a neighbour, arranged for another to pick up her toddlers from kindergarten, and rushed to the hospital. Thus began a harrowing six-month ordeal, juggling home, school, and hospital visits. She missed the online application deadline and lost out on two more job interviews.
Taiwo operated a paper-cutting machine at a small printing outfit. With the loss of his left hand, he could no longer perform his duties after being discharged. With his wife unemployed and two children to care for, he turned to friends and family for help, but as time passed, assistance became increasingly scarce.
Then came hope. Taiwo's boss, Hassan, recalled that he had registered his company under the Employees' Compensation Scheme (ECS) run by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) to meet requirements for government contracts. He had not been fully aware of the Scheme's benefits until an NSITF employee, learning of Taiwo's situation, enlightened him.
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After filing for claims, the Fund reimbursed Taiwo four million Naira (N4,000,000) for medical expenses, compensated the company for lost productivity, and paid a lump sum of one million, six hundred and fifty thousand Naira (¦ 1,650,000) as salary backlog.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive of NSITF, Olúwaceun Faleye, while presenting the cheques to Taiwo, stated that the Fund "will continue to pay Taiwo 80% of his monthly salary until he attains the age of fifty-five."
Taiwo is just one of the roughly 2.4 million workers worldwide who suffer work-related accidents annually, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Rehabilitation programme
Since his disability prevented him from continuing his previous work, NSITF offered Taiwo a new path. He received training as an auto diagnostic technician and is now optimistic about the future.
"I now have a means of earning income. Modern cars often require computer diagnosis, and most mechanics neither have the know-how nor the equipment to perform this. NSITF has given me both knowledge and equipment. The future is bright," he said.
The Employees' Compensation Act (ECA 2010) established the ECS to provide just and adequate compensation for Nigerian workers who suffer workplace injuries, occupational diseases, disabilities, or death arising from work.
Thanks to the efforts of the Oluwaseun Faleye-led management team, awareness of the Employees' Compensation Scheme is growing. However, the comprehensive rehabilitation programme was only introduced in mid-2025, nearly fifteen years after the ECA's enactment.
Work-related accidents, injuries, and diseases often leave victims unable to continue in their previous line of work. While compensation and medical treatment provide relief, they cannot restore lost productivity. The rehabilitation programme aims to bridge this gap by restoring the productivity of injured workers.
How rehabilitation programme works
Mrs Nkiru Ede-Ogunnaike, General Manager Claims and Compensation at NSITF, explained the programme's operational structure.
"Section 1(b) of the ECA 2010 mandates the Fund to provide rehabilitation to employees with work-related disabilities, while Section 16(1) states that the Board may provide vocational rehabilitation to get an injured employee back to work," she said.
She added, "The vocational rehabilitation programme is structured into three phases: orientation; vocational training; and empowerment and startup. The first phase focuses on mindset reawakening, entrepreneurship, and psychological support. Phase two provides practical hands-on training in a chosen vocation or skill, while phase three equips beneficiaries with start-up kits and support for self-reliance."
Ogunnaike listed some of the skills available under the programme, including ICT and computer literacy, tailoring and fashion design, electrical works, safety and health compliance, and auto-mechanics diagnostics.
Taiwo is not the only beneficiary. Since its inception in July 2025, fifty-six other injured Nigerian workers have benefited from the programme. Philip Anjour Terwase trained in furniture making; Daniel Onah Imale as an auto diagnostic engineer; and Nambour Ezekiel as a POS operator. All received the necessary equipment and support to start their businesses.
Other beneficiaries include Offor Kingsley Emeka (piggery), Emeka Okoro (foodstuff sales), Opara Lizzy (hair attachment sales), Sani Mohammed (POS operator), and Ejeh Gabriel George (POS operator), among others.
Another beneficiary, Kosoko, who started a poultry business through the programme, expressed gratitude: "This is a new lease of life for me. I didn't know I would be on my feet again, let alone own my own poultry. I thought compensation was all, but the new management has helped me. I thank them and hope they will continue to support us."
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Taiwo recalled a colleague who lost his hand to a cutting machine and now has to beg for a living. He praised his boss, Hassan, for complying with the Employees' Compensation Act.
Ogunnaike stated that the 57 beneficiaries were drawn from selected zones and promised that the programme would go national by early 2026 to accommodate more beneficiaries.
"Adequate preparations have been made, with over 800 employees of the Fund trained and ready to train. Beneficiaries are also trained to mentor new beneficiaries to create a multiplier effect," she added.
The programme has not only restored hope and dignity to injured workers but also promoted the Employees' Compensation Scheme, encouraged more employers to subscribe, and boosted national productivity.
"I worked in a small-scale enterprise and had no pension. The rehabilitation programme of NSITF saved me from a life of shame and helped secure my children's future," Taiwo summed up.
Since its commencement, NSITF's rehabilitation programme has been a success story, giving injured Nigerian workers and their dependents a new lease of life, while highlighting the humane and transformative role of the Employees' Compensation Scheme.
