FG inaugurates c`ttees on labour migration

The Federal Government has inaugurated two committees  (Technical Working Committee and Social Partner Advisory Committee) for the implementation of  National Policy on Labour Migration. Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, said the policy was the first in Africa and a major step to boost decent job opportunities and surmount the challenge of countless […]

The Federal Government has inaugurated two committees  (Technical Working Committee and Social Partner Advisory Committee) for the implementation of  National Policy on Labour Migration.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, said the policy was the first in Africa and a major step to boost decent job opportunities and surmount the challenge of countless Nigerian illegal immigrants. Some of them, he said, had died trying to cross the Sahara and the Mediterranean.
He said that no responsible government would sit back and watch the depletion of its human resources which was the most critical factor of production and national development.
Sen. Ngige said the risk associated with irregular migration and its impact on Nigeria’s human resources necessitated the development of the labour migration policy.
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.”
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.”
She urged the ministry to ensure wide dissemination of the policy and build synergy with relevant stakeholders.
Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union, Richard Young, said Nigeria was one of the top five countries of the world with the highest global remittances; about 21 billion dollars by 2012 estimate, noting that Nigeria would benefit immensely from a robust implementation of the labour migration policy.