FG launches national policy on labour migration
The Federal Government has unveiled the National Policy on Labour Migration and inaugurated two committees (Technical Working Committee and Social Partner Advisory Committee).
The policy is the first in Africa, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige said.
According to the Minister, “This is of utmost concern to the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as no responsible government would sit back and watch the depletion of its human resources which is the most critical factor of production and national development,’’ the Minister said.
Delivering the keynote address at the event which had in attendance, the Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration(IOM) Enira Krdzalic, Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union(EU) Richard Young, the Country Director of the International labour Organisation(ILO) Dennis Zulu, Labour Migration representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Justice, Women Affairs, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and other relevant government agencies.
Sen. Ngige said the risk associated with irregular migration and its impact on Nigeria’s human resources and development necessitated the development of the labour migration policy.
“The risks associated with irregular migration and its impact on the country’s human resources and national development necessitated the development of this coherent policy on labour migration which aims at promoting decent work and respectability of migrant workers.”
He noted that the objective of the policy was to promote the good governance of labour migration, protect immigrant workers as well as their welfare and optimize the benefits of labour migration on development.
The Minister further remarked that the policy conferred Regular Immigrant Status on persons in their countries of destination, saying that the policy was developed with technical and financial support of International Organisation for Migration and the International Labour Organisation.
He added that the framework for achieving the implementation of the policy included “the establishment of job centres for the placement of job seekers into genuine vacancies, notified by employers from across the country and abroad.”
“Towards this end, the Ministry of labour and Employment with technical and financial support from ILO, and IOM and funding from the European Development Fund equipped six functional job centres in Bauchi, Kaduna, Delta, Anambra and Abuja. The job centres provide the platform for matching demand and supply in the labour market.”
