The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged state governments across the country to increase their investments in social protection systems and schemes in order to help the estimated 15 million Nigerian children trapped in various forms of child labour.
In a message to Nigerians on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL) in 2022, the Agency’s Director General, Dr. Garba Abari, urged parents and guardians to refrain from putting children in danger by forcing them to work.
He also expressed regret that child labour remains a major source of concern across the country 19 years after the Child Rights Act was passed into law in 2003.
The NOA Chief Executive stated that government social protection systems are critical in combating and reducing poverty and vulnerability, as well as eradicating and preventing child labour, and that no significant progress can be made without increased investment in universal social protection systems.
In order to protect children in their states from child labour, he urged state governments to emulate, replicate, and complement the federal government’s social investment initiatives.
Abari tasked Local Governments to develop adequate monitoring and compliance mechanisms, working with state governments, to prevent child labour and other forms of child abuse in their areas, as part of an integrated and comprehensive approach to tackling the problem of child labour in Nigeria.
Read Also: Military Chief: Last week, we avoided catastrophic incidents in Abuja and Kano
The WDACL 2022 theme, “Universal Social Protection to End Child Labour,” was described by the NOA Director General as appropriate and as requiring concerted efforts from all levels of government, adding that social protection is both a human right and a powerful policy tool to prevent families from resorting to child labour in the face of difficult economic conditions.
He reaffirmed the NOA’s commitment to collaborating with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and its ACCEL AFRICA – Nigeria component in raising public awareness about the Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labor in Supply Chains in Africa, and specifically in Nigeria.
