How worker’s head got smashed by Wempco’s machine during production

Samuel Ogunkoya, 26, a worker of Wempco Steel Mill Company, Magboro, Ogun State, was killed after one of the pipes affixed to the company’s ‘actrus pumping machine’ fell and smashed his head. According to PUNCH METRO, the vehicle, which housed the
machine, had developed a mechanical fault about a month before the incident.

Some workers were said to have reported the fault, but the management allegedly told them to “manage it like that or leave the job.” The vehicle was eventually taken to a mechanic’s shop on Friday for repair and was returned to the company on Monday. It was being used to mold concrete bricks when one of its steel pipes fell and landed on the head of Samuel who wanted to pick the charger for the remote control of the vehicle.

Some of the deceased’s colleagues, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of losing their jobs, blamed the company for his death. They said 3 other workers, Jimoh, Samuel and Ibrahim, had died earlier in the year as a result of the management’s indifference to workers’ welfare. A father of two, who also works for Wempco, said they were not only poorly paid, but were also subjected to dehumanizing conditions.

There is no bathroom for us in the company; no toilet. We excrete inside the bush. This is my 7th year in the company, yet I am still a casual worker. They pay us N15k every 2 weeks. If we have issues with our bosses, they may deduct N2k or N5k from our wages. We resume work at 7am and close at 7pm……. R.I.P to Samuel…..