No fewer than 78 Nigerian workers living with disabilities caused by workplace accidents have received a fresh chance at life after the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) provided them with prosthetic limbs and other assistive devices, restoring their mobility and independence.
The intervention, which began in April 2026, saw beneficiaries assessed, fitted with appropriate prostheses, trained on their use and discharged after undergoing satisfactory evaluation, restoring mobility and giving many of them the opportunity to rebuild their lives.
Speaking at the presentation of the final report on the exercise in Abuja, the Managing Director of NSITF, Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye, said the successful completion of the programme was made possible through the commitment of prosthesis providers, beneficiaries, employers and the Fund’s monitoring team.
Represented by the Executive Director (Operations), Mrs Mojisola Alli Macaulay, Faleye said the Claims and Compensation Department monitored the implementation of the programme from inception to completion to ensure every approved beneficiary received the rehabilitation support required.
He said all beneficiaries captured under the approved programme were assessed, fitted with suitable prostheses, trained on how to use them and discharged after meeting the required clinical standards.
According to him, beneficiaries who could not participate due to death, inability to establish contact or refusal to honour invitations were replaced with eligible persons from a supplementary list to ensure the programme was completed successfully.
Faleye also commended the prosthesis providers for their professionalism and flexibility in handling special clinical cases, including the provision of a hip disarticulation prosthesis for a beneficiary whose medical assessment required it.
The final report showed that eight beneficiaries received above knee prostheses, one beneficiary was fitted with a hip disarticulation prosthesis, 11 received below knee prostheses, 12 were provided with below elbow prostheses, five received above elbow prostheses, one beneficiary was fitted with a trans humeral prosthesis, while 40 beneficiaries received silicon partial hand prostheses.
All 78 beneficiaries successfully completed the programme and were discharged.
General Manager, Claims and Compensation, Mrs Nkiru Ede-Ogunnaike, said the exercise covered every stage of rehabilitation, including assessment, measurement, fabrication, fitting, gait and functional training, evaluation and final discharge.
She said the prostheses were successfully fitted, with beneficiaries expressing satisfaction with the quality of services provided.
She added that discharge letters, warranty documents and beneficiaries’ satisfaction forms had been completed and filed in their respective records.
Ede-Ogunnaike said the programme achieved its objectives by significantly improving the mobility, functionality and quality of life of injured workers, while reinforcing the Fund’s mandate of providing rehabilitation support for employees who sustain work related disabilities.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr Solomon Sunday, a staff member of Zodoson Industries in Abia State, described the intervention as life changing.
He said many of the beneficiaries had battled depression and frustration after losing their limbs in workplace accidents before the NSITF stepped in to restore their confidence and independence.
“We are deeply grateful to the Fund for giving us our lives back. You can see how excited and happy I am as a young man who can now look forward to a brighter future.
“The Fund has also given me the opportunity to acquire a new skill to earn a living. We sincerely appreciate NSITF and thank God for using the organisation to change our stories,” he said.
