Child Labour: Ngige reiterates FG’s commitment to accelerated actions

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has restated federal government’s commitment to accelerate action in achieving alliance 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] that seeks immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and secure prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour by the year 2025.
A statement signed by the Ministry’s Director of Press, Samuel Olowookere, quoted Ngige as stating this in Abuja during the commemoration of the World Day Against Child Labour 2018 with the theme “Generation Safe and Healthy” and sub theme “Elimination of Child Labour and Protection of young workers” “This campaign also aims at accelerated action to achieve target 8.7/alliance 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which seeks among other things, to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour.” the statement said.
The minister also reiterated that child labour is the engagement of child under 18 years of age in any work that deprives them of their childhood and the opportunity to be educated, and also hamper their physical and moral development.
He lamented that this trend has assumed a global dimension and attention, hence this year’s theme is meant to awaken the need to improve the safety and health of young workers and end child labour, especially in its worst forms.
“To build a generation of safe and healthy workers, preparation must begin early with parental and community awareness for young people to be aware of risks and able to advocate on their own behalf, education about work hazards and risks as well as about workers’ rights, need to start in school and continues through vocational training and apprenticeship programmes” the minister said.
He added that practical steps must be taken to eliminate the root causes of child labour and ensure that the rights of young workers were protected within the ambits of the law.
He further disclosed that the Muhammadu Buhari Administration has done a lot in the fight against child labour and will continue until it is eliminated in Nigeria.
Ngige solicited the collaboration of frontline MDAs, workers and employers union, civil society organizations, (NGOs) and other stakeholders to create time bound child labour programmes and projects and make budgetary provision for them in line with their various mandates as encapsulated in the National Action Plan (NAP) for elimination of child labour and take such programmes to the communities and involve the community gatekeepers, market women, traditional rulers and children.
Speaking earlier, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ibukun Odusote said the Day is set aside internationally for awareness creation, mass mobilisation and activism on prevention of child labour.
She said “child labour presents a serious challenge at global and national levels and requires concerted efforts by all stakeholders to overcome the menace”.
She described the symposium commemorating the day as very strategic as to create awareness and rub minds on the more effective ways to tackle the menace of child labour and improve the safety and health of young workers in our society.
In their separate remarks, representative of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Agatha Kolawole, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) Adenike Adebayo Ajala, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Maureen Onyia, Trade Union Congress (TUC) Hassan Anka, and National Agency For Prohibition Of Trafficking In Person (NAPTIP), acknowledged the fact that the youth are the future and leaders of tomorrow, hence they should be appreciated, recognized, and regarded as valuable human assets worthy of investing upon for the very survival and continuous existence of the human race.
They also pledged their continued support and collaboration with the federal government to eliminate child labour and protect children within the working age.