By Joan Nwagwu
The Federal Government has declared the elimination of child labour a national development priority, linking it to education, social protection, economic growth and human capital development.
Sen. George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said this on Wednesday in Abuja at a National Dialogue on implementing Nigeria’s National Child Labour Policy and National Action Plan.
Akume said government would strengthen labour administration, improve inspection systems and enhance child protection mechanisms while addressing poverty, unemployment and inadequate access to quality education.
“Every child belongs in school, not in hazardous workplaces. Every child deserves protection, not exploitation,” he said.
He urged state governments to support implementation of the National Action Plan and called on employers to ensure their supply chains remained free from child labour.
Akume also urged parents and guardians to keep children in school, while calling on workers’ organisations, communities and other stakeholders to promote decent work and social justice.
He said the policy and action plan provided a roadmap for translating Nigeria’s international commitments, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 8.7, into measurable national action.
Akume formally unveiled the 2024 National Child Labour Survey Report, National Policy on Child Labour and National Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labour 2026–2030.
Also, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Dingyadi, said child labour remained a major obstacle to human dignity, social justice and sustainable development, depriving children of education and opportunities.
Dingyadi said findings from the National Child Labour Survey showed that millions of children remained engaged in labour, with many exposed to hazardous work in several sectors.
He listed agriculture, mining, domestic service, street trading and construction among areas where children were exposed to hazardous labour and exploitation across the country.
He said the Federal Government remained committed to enforcing the Labour Act, Child Rights Act and relevant international labour standards, particularly ILO Conventions 138 and 182.
Dingyadi said the reviewed National Policy on Child Labour and National Action Plan 2026–2030 provided a comprehensive framework for prevention, protection,6 enforcement, rehabilitation and accountability.
“Ending child labour cannot be achieved by government alone. It requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” Dingyadi said.
Earlier, Dr Vanessa Phala, ILO Country Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, said the dialogue provided an opportunity to translate Nigeria’s commitments into tangible action against child labour.
Phala described child labour as both a child protection and labour-market challenge, with poverty, vulnerability, inadequate education, weak social protection and limited livelihood opportunities among its major drivers.
She called for stronger accountability, institutions and reliable data to monitor implementation, emphasising the need for decent work and economic empowerment to help families keep children out of labour.
“We continue to do our best to make sure that indeed we are moving from commitment to action, that we are moving from talking to actually implementing,” she said.
Phala urged stakeholders to ensure that the National Child Labour Policy and National Action Plan became “living instruments of change” as Nigeria works towards eliminating child labour by 2030.