Africa Energy Nigeria Electricity – #lightupnigeria Ruined And Abandoned By PHCN

#lightupnigeria

Source: Newswatchngr, by Tosin Omoniyi, January – 31 – 2010

Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, fails to pay compensation ordered by a court in favour of Abosede Elugbaju, victim of electrocution

Three years after Abosede Elugbaju, a 39-year-old seamstress, won a suit she instituted against the National Electricity Power Authority, NEPA, now Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, she is still battling to claim N17, 970,000 compensation ordered by the Federal High Court, Lagos in her favour.

Elugbaju, who survived electrocution by the whiskers, September 26, 2002, at Ketu, Lagos State, dragged the PHCN to court over the incident. In the judgement delivered by Justice Oyindamola Olomojobi at the high court on July 7, 2007, the court ordered that Elugbaju be compensated with N17, 970,000. But since then, PHCN had refused to pay the judgement sum.

Rather than pay the compensation, the PHCN only filed a notice of appeal, which it later abandoned.

But Elugbaju is not relenting in her effort to ensure the compensation is paid. On November 4, 2009, she filed a motion seeking for an attachment of the judgement sum to any bank account that PHCN may be operating in the Lagos State.

In the motion of notice filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, Elugbaju is asking the court to order PHCN to effect payment through its account with First Bank of Nigeria PLC, United Bank of Africa, PLC, Skye Bank PLC and Zenith Bank PLC, at their headquarters in Lagos.

Elugbaju needs the money to move on with her life. The mother of three said that everything pertaining to her had collapsed since the electrocution because of her lifeless hands and amputated leg. She wishes to go back to work and be an employer as she had always been before the misfortune, “I cannot continue to stay at home for the rest of my life. I also do not wish to be liability onto others. I want to be a responsible wife to my husband, responsible mother to my children and responsible daughter to my parents,” she said. She also prayed the court to appeal to PHCN to procure a domestic assistance who will assist in taking care of her and her little son. She said the domestic assistance cannot take less than N15, 000 per month as salary.

Before the incidence, she was a fashion designer with about eight sewing machines and had three apprentices. She was also selling tailoring materials and other textile materials. According to her, she was generating N40, 000 monthly from the business.

Elugbaju had sustained very serious injury along with her son and an apprentice from a NEPA cable that fell on top of the roof of her shop. She got extensive degree burns on her lower limb. She also had deformities on her right fingers and on her right wrist. It happened in the hot afternoon of September 26, 2002 while she was trying to feed her son who just returned from school. They were rushed to a nearby hospital where they were treated for two weeks before she was transferred to the department of the Surgery Orthopaedic Unit, Lagos State University Hospital, LASUTH. At LASUTH, Elugbaju’s medical condition was reviewed and it was concluded that she needed an above-the-knee amputation. She also had skin grafting.

According to the medical report, Elugbaju’s amputation became necessary because the decaying gangrene was caused by compromise of blood supply to the affected area, thereby making the dead tissue around the area to grow germs. There was limited movement of the fingers and the wrist, including the elbow joint.

Elugbaju’s husband, Gbenga, is a teacher by profession. He described his wife as a very responsible mother and supportive wife. He is, however, sad that since the incident, the family has suffered greatly and yet the PHCN that inflicted the pains on them has refused to pay compensation as ordered by the court.

Africa Energy Nigeria Electricity