By Evelyn Usman
His voice was weak, but his words carried the weight of pain, betrayal, and despair. Sitting on a mat in a small, one-room apartment somewhere in Lagos, 39-year-old Ayodeji Moses -Ojo fought to hold back tears as he struggled to speak through a fractured jaw that had refused to heal.
Until four months ago, Ayodeji was a healthy, hardworking father of two. He worked with an outdoor advertising agency based in the Lekki area of Lagos. Today, he bears the scars of a tragic workplace accident that has not only left his body shattered but also exposed the silent suffering of many blue-collar workers abandoned by the very companies they serve.
Day everything changed
June 18, 2025, began like every other workday. He had kissed his wife and two little boys goodbye before leaving home for what was supposed to be a routine installation job . But before noon, tragedy struck. An electric surge from a high-tension cable tore through his body as he worked on a billboard along Agege road, throwing him off the billboard. He landed on the busy Agege road with a thud, unconscious, badly burnt, and bleeding.
By the time he was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital LASUTH, doctors reportedly found multiple fractures , his jaw, arms, and legs were broken. His skin was burned in several places, leaving him hovering between life and death.
Promise broken
At first, there was hope. According to him, his employer had promised to take full responsibility for his medical bills, which were estimated to cost over ¦ 10 million. But that promise, like many made to struggling workers, was short-lived, he alleged.
“I was rushed to the hospital after the accident,” Ayodeji began, his words coming slowly, each syllable strained through swollen jaws and laboured breath. He spoke in short, painful bursts, pausing often as though every word cost him strength.
Continuing, he said: “At first, my boss promised to take care of the bills. But after some time, he said he would only spend ¦ 3 million, whether I got better or not. He told me that once the ¦ 3 million was finished, he would not pay a kobo more.”
He swallowed hard, his jaw tightening from the effort, before continuing in a faint voice laced with pain:” When the money ran out, he stopped calling. He stopped caring. Since then, I have been left to struggle on my own. I have spent everything I ever had — my savings, my wife’s small business money, and the little contributions from friends, family, and people who felt pity for me. Now, I have nothing left.”
At this point he tried to shift in his chair but winced in pain. “My jaw is still broken and has not been operated on. The pain is constant. I can barely eat or speak properly. My legs are still in irons, and the wounds on my body are yet to heal. I am just here praying for help , praying that someone will hear my story”, he stated.
We have spent everything we have — Wife
Throughout the conversation, his frail mother who had journeyed from Ogun State to tend to her son and his distraught wife, Alice, sat by his side, tears silently cascading down their cheeks.
Alice picked up the story from that point, her voice trembling with exhaustion and pain. She said
“We have spent so much. The ¦ 3 million his company spent at the early stage was only for oxygen, X-ray, and the operation on his leg. As we speak, he has iron rods in that leg.
“After that, we spent another ¦ 3 million of our own. There was a time the doctor said his bone marrow had been destroyed by the electrocution, and we had to buy a drug to help. Just three tablets cost ¦ 517,000 and we bought it three times while he was still at LUTH. But when it became obvious we couldn’t meet up with the financial demands, we had no choice but to leave the hospital.”
Fighting back tears, she continued: “Even now, a nurse comes home to dress his wound and today’s visit (Thursday) costs ¦ 50,000. He needs reconstructive surgery on his jaw; his leg still needs POP; his back and lap are covered in burns that are yet to heal. He can not chew food at the moment. We have been surviving on the goodwill of friends and family. I am just a Point-of-Sale POS operator.
We are appealing to kind-hearted Nigerians to please come to my husband’s aid. He had dreams for a better future for our two children, aged five and two. We are not asking for too much , just a chance for him to live again.”
Employer contacted
However, when Saturday Vanguard contacted Ojo’s employer, Mr. Nosa Kaye, his mobile line rang out without response.
But shortly after, another caller who identified himself simply as Temi reached out to Saturday Vanguard, describing Kaye as his boss. He explained that his boss was currently out of the country but assured that he would get in touch as soon as he returned next week.
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