The Federal Government has declared as unacceptable in Nigeria, child labour and related issues, describing the practice as a criminal offence and directing relevant agencies to immediately report cases involving children engaged in hazardous work.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr. Kamil Shoretire, gave the directive at a training workshop for labour reporters organised by the Labour Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Abuja.
Shoretire said children must not be exposed to hazardous activities in sectors such as mining, agriculture and construction, stressing that the government’s policy on the elimination of child labour remained clear.
The permanent secretary clarified that ministries, departments and agencies have different responsibilities in monitoring and enforcing regulations against child labour. He said specialised sectors such as mining should be monitored by the agencies responsible for regulating those industries.
According to him, while the Ministry of Labour and Employment has a clear policy against child labour, enforcement in specialised sectors requires collaboration with relevant regulatory authorities.
Shoretire said legal mining operations must comply with prescribed standards, while local and state governments should report illegal mining activities to enable security agencies to intervene.
He also urged regulatory bodies responsible for construction sites to report violations involving children instead of assuming that enforcement was solely the responsibility of the labour ministry.
The latest available national survey by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that 24.7 million children aged between five and 17, representing 39.2 per cent, were engaged in child labour in 2022.
The survey further found that 14.4 million children, equivalent to 22.9 per cent, were involved in hazardous work. Child labour was also higher in rural areas, where the rate stood at 44.8 per cent, compared with 30 per cent in urban areas.
Shoretire said the ministry would take appropriate action whenever cases of child labour were reported, particularly where children were involved in street trading, hazardous domestic work and other forms of exploitation.
He warned against situations where children are made to perform dangerous tasks, citing construction sites where children could be forced to carry cement or heavy metals and climb multi-storey buildings.
The permanent secretary said the recent launch of the National Child Labour Policy by President Bola Tinubu further demonstrated the government’s commitment to protecting children from hazardous work and ensuring that they remain in safe environments and in school.
Nigeria’s legal framework prohibits child labour and hazardous employment. Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution protects the dignity of the human person, while Section 28 of the Child Rights Act 2003 prohibits children from hazardous employment.
Nigeria has also ratified International Labour Organisation Conventions 138 on minimum age and 182 on the worst forms of child labour.
The workshop also addressed emerging labour issues, including artificial intelligence, the gig and platform economy, social security, migration and labour mobility, occupational safety and health, skills development and the future of work.
Shoretire urged journalists to report labour matters accurately and objectively, warning that inaccurate or sensational reporting could heighten tensions and undermine reconciliation efforts. He encouraged reporters to distinguish clearly between facts, allegations, opinions and interpretations.
Earlier, the ministry’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Annah Daniel, described the workshop as timely, noting that the changing nature of work had increased the need for accurate reporting. She said labour reporting serves as a bridge between government, workers, employers and the wider public.
Daniel added that journalists had an important role in promoting industrial harmony, decent work and public understanding of employment, workplace relations, social security, occupational safety and health, labour migration and other workforce-related issues.
