President Bola Tinubu-Tinubu-led government has affirmed its commitment to prioritizing human rights, including labour rights and focusing on the improvement of decent work and real income.
This assurance was given at the ongoing 111th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) held in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Daju Kachollom, spoke on behalf of the government.
She acknowledged the issues of widening inequality, the rising cost of living, climate change, geopolitical instability, and the increasing debt burden, especially in developing countries.
Kachollom further pledged the government’s commitment to enhancing the social protection system and ensuring gender equality. She emphasized the government’s focus on fully developing the potential of the nation’s youthful demographic.
The Permanent Secretary stated, “In 2021, we revived the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) which is Nigeria’s foremost national tripartite institution for all labour and employment administration matters. The government at Council members include representatives from the 36 states of the federation to provide a rich-refreshing reservoir of ideas to power our commitment.
“Plans are at an advanced stage to commence the necessary process towards the ratification of ILO Convention No. 102 on Social Security (Minimum Standards) to bring the total number of ratified ILO Conventions to 45.
“Our focus is also on several intervention programmes on social assistance on social protection to ensure the non-erosion of the pre-COVID-19 gains on our Social Protection Floors, as well as to cushion the effects of the emerging global challenges.
“The provision of full, productive and freely chosen employment is at the front burner of national discourse and central to our National Development Plan. Government is committed to lifting up 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030 and is resolved as evident in the National Development Plan (NDP) (2021- 2025) to generate 21 million full-time jobs and lift 35 million people out of poverty by 2025.
“Nigeria is convinced that injustice and persistent inequality where workers are subjected to unsafe, unhealthy and unfair practices does not inspire sustainable development. To address these, the National Policy on Occupational Safety and Health was recently revised to give full effect to the government’s intervention in this regard. We are currently updating our Future of Work Report to align with the ILO Centenary Declaration, the Abidjan Declaration, as well as the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, as amended.
“Nigeria wishes to pledge her commitment to developing an inclusive democratic state and a just society, with focus and main priority on human rights, including labour rights, consistent enhancement of decent work and real income, improving the system of social protection, ensuring gender equality while developing our vast youthful demographic to the fullest.”
