The International Labour Organisation (ILO) in collaboration with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has called on stakeholders to work towards ending child labour by 2025.
Vanessa Phala, director of the (ILO), Abuja Country office for Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria and Liaison office for ECOWAS made the call in Akure during a four-day training workshop for media practitioners and officials of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), in Ondo State.
Phala, who was represented by Agatha Kolawole, the national programme coordinator of Acceleration Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Supply Chains in Africa (ACCEL) Africa project, said it has become imperative for the media and NOA to join the fight against child labour in Nigeria.
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Calling on media practitioners and NOA to support the campaign of total elimination of child labour in society, Phala, said the ILO has been confronted with the harsh reality that the alarming rate of child labour in Ondo State may increase if stakeholders failed to take ownership of the fight.
According to her, all hands must be on deck towards securing the future of children in Nigeria by total elimination of child labour by 2025.
Speaking in the same vein, Michael Folayan, the federal labour controller in Ondo State, described child labour as a threat to the future of the country, noting that the year 2025 benchmark for total elimination of child labour must be pursued by all stakeholders.
Also speaking at the workshop, the Ondo State NOA director, Adelayo Adefolalu condemned the act of subjecting children to forced labour for economic gains.
She said child labour obstructed educational growth of children which is mainly responsible for social vices in our society today and canvassed promulgation of laws to discourage it.
Adefolalu, however, expressed readiness of the agency officials in the intending task of embarking on policy framework in line with the mandate of the agency in eradicating child labour in Ondo State and the nation at large.
Adetona Aderoboye, Ondo State NUJ chairman, who commended the organisers of the event, said courage must be mustered to reverse the ugly trend of child labour across the 18 local government areas of the state and the country at large.
