Government unveils national policy on labour migration

*Raises technical, advisory committees

The Federal Government has inaugurated Technical Working Committee, and Social Partner Advisory Committee, to speed up the implementation of its National Policy on Labour Migration.

Inaugurating the committees in Abuja, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said the policy, which is the first in Africa, is intended to provide succour to Nigerians working abroad.

His words: “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.”

Delivering the keynote address, Ngige decried the risks associated with irregular migration and its impact on Nigeria’s human resources and development necessitated the development of the labour migration policy.

The event was also attended by the Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) EniraKrdzalic; Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU), Richard Young; and the Country Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Dennis Zulu. Others were Labour Migration representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Justice, and Women Affairs; National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and other relevant government agencies.

“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,” Ngige explained.

He noted that the objective of the policy is to promote the good governance of labour migration, protect immigrant workers as well as their welfare and optimise 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 the 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.

He stated: “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.”
Giving the Internet web address of the National Electronic Exchange (NELEX) as www.nelexnigeria.com, the Minister further said that Migrants Resource Centres (MRCs) for the provision of migration related information has also been provided at two of the Job Centres in Lagos and Abuja.

Earlier in her remarks, the Chief of Mission, International Organisation for Migration, Ms. Enira Krdzalic, said the policy was the product of the 10th European Union Development Fund project entitled, “Promoting Better Management of Migration in Nigeria,” revealing that the policy commenced way back in 2008 with technical support of IOM and the ILO through the participatory process, involving national stakeholders.”

She hinted that IOM has been supporting the Nigerian government in the development of initiatives for effective migration management and further described the inauguration as a landmark.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union, Richard Young, said Nigeria is one of the top five countries of the world with the highest global remittances, which stood at about $21 billion by 2012 estimate, noting that Nigeria will benefit immensely from a robust implementation of the Labour Migration policy.