Nigeria, Philippines to deepen labour ties, protect migrant workers

Nigeria and the Republic of the Philippines have committed to strengthening bilateral labour cooperation, with a renewed focus on protecting migrant workers and simplifying migration processes between both countries.

This follows a closed-door meeting in Abuja between the visiting Minister of Migrant Workers of the Philippines, Hon. Hans Leo Cacdac, and Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, where both sides reaffirmed their mutual interest in advancing worker’s welfare and economic collaboration.

In his remarks, Tuggar described the visit as an opportunity to learn from the Philippines’ global leadership in labour export and worker protection, stressing that Nigeria aims to ensure its citizens work abroad “with dignity, with respect.”

“We’ve had Filipinos working in Nigeria for a very long time. Many of us were taught by Filipinos, particularly STEM, in secondary schools, some even primary schools. We have Filipinos working in the aviation sector, and in the maritime sector. And it’s something that we’re looking to strengthen and to learn from each other,” the foreign minister said.

He noted that the talks also covered the Technical Aid Corps programme, which has deployed Nigerian professionals to African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries since 1987, as well as nine pending bilateral agreements, with a possible tenth focused on labour cooperation.

Tuggar said both countries recognise the global shortage of skilled workers and the potential of their youthful populations to fill those gaps.

“We can send out those workers, but we want them to be protected,” he said, adding that Cacdac would meet with Nigeria’s Labour Minister to continue discussions on labour-specific agreements.

Earlier, Cacdac said his visit was in line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to deepen bilateral labour relations, ensure the safety of Filipino workers in Nigeria, and explore ways to further economic cooperation.

He disclosed that Manila is considering opening a migrant workers office in Abuja to strengthen ties and provide direct support to its citizens.

“We wish to express our profound gratitude to the good foreign minister and to the Nigerian government, the Nigerian people. First and foremost for the warm welcome and of course for expressing our mutual interest to seek better ways to deepen our bilateral relations… with special mention of the protection afforded to our migrant workers, our workers here in Nigeria, who see Nigeria, who feel Nigeria as a safe haven,” Cacdac said.

According to him, such cooperation would involve capability building, information exchange, and bilateral discussions with Nigeria’s Labour Ministry.

“We have expressed the humble wish to have a migrant workers office here in Abuja… We also wish to pursue bilateral discussions and arrangements with the labour ministry, through the Foreign Ministry of course,” he added.

Responding to questions on easing migration for Nigerians seeking work in the Philippines, Cacdac said the first step would be “information exchange and getting to know more about each other’s systems and processes,” noting that his country already has facilitative procedures for foreign employment and is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Protection of Migrant Workers.

“We offer ourselves as having a system of protection on both sides, our workers and foreign workers back home. And again, all of these will come into fore when we start knowing about each other’s systems and ways in which to enhance them,” the minister stated.