A source close to Momoh said his “right eye was damaged by chemical while on official duty at the Museum of West African Arts, MOWA Benin City,” adding that he was later “subsequently told to resign on health ground.”
A staff member of A & K Construction Company Limited, Suleiman Momoh, has reportedly been abandoned by the company after his right eye was severely damaged by chemical exposure while carrying out official duties at the Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA) in Benin City, Edo State.
A source close to Momoh said his “right eye was damaged by chemical while on official duty at the Museum of West African Arts, MOWA Benin City,” adding that he was later “subsequently told to resign on health ground.”
SaharaReporters learnt that the injured worker is demanding compensation from the construction firm for the life-altering injury.
“But he is demanding for the sum of ₦150 million as compensation from the company for making him incapacitated,” the source said.
SaharaReporters further learnt that efforts by Momoh to resolve the matter amicably have failed, as “he tried to enter into negotiation but the company was being defiant.”
According to the source, the injury has continued to deteriorate, explaining that the damage to his right eye is “now affecting his left eye,” raising concerns about his overall vision and ability to work.
Momoh is also calling on Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, to intervene in the matter and “ensure he gets justice,” the source said.
In 2024, SaharaReporters co-published an investigation exposing a similar pattern of abuse in Kano State.
The investigation revealed that the Bompai Industrial Area in Kano hosted a mix of companies, including foreign-owned firms, alongside numerous unregistered recycling outfits where young people labour for paltry wages.
Many of these facilities operate hazardous plastic manufacturing and crushing machines that have maimed scores of workers, leaving some with amputated fingers or limbs, while others have been killed in workplace accidents.
Findings showed that victims and their families are rarely compensated. Even when workers die, relatives are left to bear the pain of their loss or cope with permanent disabilities suffered by loved ones, in clear violation of the provisions of the Employees’ Compensation Act, 2010.
The investigation further exposed the grim realities confronting these youths: they are overworked, underpaid, and routinely abandoned by their employers after life-changing accidents, condemned to broken lives and denied any meaningful access to justice.