The Federal Government has expressed readiness to strengthen the existing labour cooperation with the Republic of the Philippines. Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, stated this when he received the Secretary, Migrant Workers, Republic of the Philippines, Hon. Hans Leo Cacdac, and his team, on a visit to Abuja.

Dingyadi welcomed the plan by the government of the Republic of the Philippines to set up a Labour Desk in Nigeria, and promised the needed cooperation.

He noted that the setting up of a labour desk in Nigeria will boost collaboration between the two countries, saying it would not only protect the interests of the workers and the two countries but also deepen the long-standing relationship between them.

The minister said: “I want to assure you that we are ready to partner with you in this area. Nigeria has a long-standing bilateral relationship with your country in other areas, including the economy and socio-cultural. If we deepen and promote that relationship, it will be mutually beneficial to the two countries.”

Earlier, the Secretary, Migrant Workers, Republic of the Philippines, Hon. Hans Leo Cacdac, had stated the desire of the government of the Philippines to set up a labour desk under its embassy in Nigeria, to coordinate the affairs of the Filipino migrant workers in the country.
He disclosed that there are about four thousand Filipino migrant workers in Nigeria who are engaged in jobs essential to the economy of both Nigeria and the Philippines.