The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, on Tuesday said that the Federal Government was hopeful of 80 per cent eradication of Child Labour by 2025.
Ngige said this at a news conference to mark the World Day Against Child Labour in Abuja.
The theme for 2021 World Day Against Child Labour was entitled: “Act Now: End Child Labour”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ILO and UNICEF recent releases estimated 160 million children in child labour.
Ngige said that no government had made efforts to eradicate Child Labour in Nigeria like the current administration, with the introduction of school feeding programmes to lure children back to school.
“International Labour Organisation (ILO) has estimated that over 160 million children are involved in child labour with half of this number engaged in the worst forms of child labour which affects their health, safety and total well-being.
“The government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, in collaboration with ILO and other stakeholders has the primary responsibility of ensuring that children are not engaged in work.
“That is work that constitutes child labour and that young workers of legal working age are duly protected and work in safe conditions,’’ he said.
The minister added that the theme of the celebration focuses on pledges made for the 2021 International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour.
He also said that the theme focused on the need to take immediate action to accelerate progress in the elimination of Child Labour.
“It is the first International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour since the ratification of ILO’s Convention 182 on the ‘Worst Forms of Child Labour’.
“It is taking place at the time when COVID-19 crises threatened to reverse years of progress in tackling Child Labour,’’ he said.
Ngige, however, said that the government had created the enabling environment for the fight against the menace through the ratification and adoption of key ILO conventions.
He said these ILO conventions included Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, No.182 (1999), Minimum Age, No.138 (1970), Forced Labour, No.29 (1930), UN Convention on the Right of the child, amongst others.
Ngige said that Nigeria had also approved policy documents on National Policy on Child Labour, National Plan for the Elimination of Child Labour in Nigeria and a comprehensive list of hazardous work among other numerous measures adopted.
He added that the ministry was reviewing the Labour Act, other labour laws in order to address all the gaps and barriers to effective Labour Administration and Elimination of Child Labour in Nigeria.
Earlier, the ILO Country Representative, Venessa Phala, lamented that 92 million children in Africa were involved in Child Labour, out of which 41 million were involved in the most hazardous one.
Phala urged governments in Africa to deal with poverty, which was the main driver of the menace.
She said that ILO would continue to provide support for Nigeria in tackling Child Labour.
Phala added that ILO was committed to working with the Ministry of Labour and Employment in the quest to save Nigerian children from the social malaise.
Mrs Adenike Ajala, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Abuja Office representative, said that NECA would ensure that child labour was eradicated in the supply chains.
She added that the association was also creating awareness among its members to ensure that children were not employed in companies and factories.
