Okilla... on
his hospital bed
Mark
Okilla, an engineering mason with Chinese Civil Engineering Construction
Corporation, Lagos State, whose right arm was chopped off by one of the
company’s construction machines, has accused CCECC of neglecting him.
Okilla’s arm was grounded by a pulley machine from the finger to his chest. The machine later tore the arm completely. The stump was later covered by layers of skin removed from his lap.
The 26-year-old man said the company
merely dumped him in the hospital and since then, had not deemed it fit
to check on him and did not care how his family was faring since the
incident that left him incapacitated for life
He said, “It is lamentable that a
company I have been working for since two years ago could abandon me at a
critical point in my life.
“The company only deemed it necessary to
look into my plight when lawyers threatened a legal action and
petitioned the Lagos State Government.
“Even at that, the company, in a bid to
satisfy the government, paid some medical bills without any official
coming around to know how I was faring let alone knowing how my family
was being fed.”
Okilla told Punch Metro on Friday that
on January 5, 2013, he had left his 3, Ojo Afeje home in Orile Iganmu
for work in high spirits but his joy was cut short by the accident.
Explaining how the accident happened,
Okilla said, “On the fateful day, I was forcefully assigned extra duty
in a different department I had no knowledge of- to operate a
locally-fabricated pulley machine used for removing rubber from the cast
beam- after completing my normal day’s job.
“This was a technical department that
required proper training and safety devices which were not provided.
Masons have nothing to do with operating machines. The said machine had
been faulty and was fixed a few days previously, but on that day while
holding and guiding the wire rope and belt continuously from the machine
to ensure accuracy, the machine malfunctioned and got stuck on the
other end that was attached to the beam.
“The beam being heavier than the machine
forced the machine to pull from the base and moved towards me with such
a force that suddenly dragged my hand into the machine. The machine
continued to drag and grind my hand until my chest, which could not pass
through the machine, stopped it. The stoppage forced the right hand to
pull off instantly and stuck into the machine.
“I was told that I fainted and only
recovered after surgery. I continued to suffer in the hospital without
proper feeding and medical attention due to lack of money to buy
prescribed drugs.
“In fact, upon all this, my two months’
salaries were only paid after my relations threatened to cry out to
Nigerians for justice.
“It was soon after my accident that the
company built the normal safety barricade that should have been there
before.
“Because of the severity of the
accident, when my arm was deteriorating and refused to heal, the doctors
had to cut some flesh from my right lap to add to my arm. It was such a
gory sight!”
He appealed to Nigerian government and
Nigerians for justice against CCECC whom he accused of enslaving young
Nigerians.
Counsel for Okilla, Mr. Moses Gbagbo, of
Kings and Goodman (Solicitors), in a letter demanding compensation from
CCECC, said the mishap would have been avoided.
He said this was because of negligence
on the part of the company which allegedly failed to provide a conducive
working environment.
He said, “Our client, who is in his
prime is now maimed for life and will forever be dependent on other
people for his survival.
“As it is right now, all our client’s
plans have come to nought as he is now handicapped due to your fault in
not providing an enabling environment for him to work.”
The lawyer has therefore demanded that
CCECC pay N1bn to his client for the permanent incapacitation.
Gbagbo said if the company failed to
grant his client’s request, he would not hesitate to institute legal
proceedings against CCECC.
The letter to the CCECC, a copy of which
was made available to our correspondent, was also copied to the Lagos
State Government, National Assembly and the Benue State Government.
When our correspondent contacted CCECC
Human Resources Manager, who identified himself only as Mr. Wang on the
telephone on Sunday, he asked, ‘Who gave you my number’?”
When our correspondent tried to explain
further, Wang retorted, “The problem with Mark is not the problem of the
public. It is the corporation’s problem.
“Whatever you want to do you can do. If
you want to put in the paper, you can do that. Please, do not call my
phone again.”
Wang subsequently cut the phone.
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