Former staff member of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Ikeja Zonal Office, Tairu Quadri Adewale, has finally achieved victory in his fight for justice.
He received a N30 million award from the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Ltd (NELMCO) as Final Settlement of Liability Claim on Tuesday, December 5, 2023.
The award came 15 years after Adewale lost his two arms while working for PHCN on May 5, 2008.
He was electrocuted on duty and admitted to the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where he went through multiple operations.
After more than 13 months at LASUTH, the victim was flown to India for further medical evaluation and a prosthetic surgery but the surgery did not materialise. He blamed the development on fraud.
Adewale stated that, after his return from India, he engaged with the management of PHCN (Ikeja zonal office) on a way forward, but the efforts proved abortive despite the inauguration of various committees to address the situation.
In the pursuit of justice, he sent a petition to the House of Representatives which caught the attention of Hon. Wale Raji, the lawmaker representing Epe Federal Constituency, in 2016.
The House Committee on Public Petitions subsequently took up the matter and held public hearings in February and March 2018.
At the time, Hon. Raji said Adewale and the management of Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) would appear before the committee and his case would be decided by the house with a view to fighting the injustice meted against him.
“Today [February 8, 2018] at the National Assembly (House Committee on Public Petitions) is pursuing the case of Mr. Quadri Tairu Olalekan, a Constituent from Mojoda, Ward K1, who suffered a SEVERE ELECTRICAL BURNS which led to the amputation of his extremities (the two arms from the shoulders) in 2008 as an IT student of the defunct PHCN and has since been abandoned,” the lawmaker said in a statement.
“On the 10th March, 2016, I brought his case to the attention of the Lawmakers during the plenary and was referred to the Committee on Public Petitions.
“Today, he (Quadri Tairu) and the management of Ikeja Electric Distribution Company will appear before the committee and his case would be decided by the house with a view to fighting the injustice meted against him.”
However, justice did not arrive for Adewale until December 2023.
Speaking at the presentation of the N30 million award to the victim on Tuesday, Hon. Raji revealed how numerous negotiations led to the settlement.
He commended the House, especially Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the 8th Assembly, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila of the 9th Assembly, and Speaker Tajudeen Abass of the 10th assembly, for achieving justice for Adewale.
The lawmaker noted that the success emphasizes the importance of the House Committee on Public Petitions.
“This is to demonstrate what can be achieved through the Committee on Public Petitions. As the saying goes that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man. But this has shown that the legislature can be an avenue for the public to seek redress when they suffer denial of their rights or justice,” Hon. Raji said.
Another House member, Hon. Dennis Idahosa of Ovia South/West-Ovia North/East Federal Constituency hailed the Epe federal lawmaker for his unwavering support for Adewale’s pursuit of justice.
Thank you, Hon. Wale Raji for your good leadership. You have shown that when we have good leadership in position, even our constituents will also get the dividends of democracy. This is one of the dividends of democracy because if you had voted a bad leadership, there would be no result as of today,” he said.
The lawmaker also thanked the victim and his family for their patience and perseverance in the face of a difficult struggle.
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