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Sen. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, has connected the epidemic of child labor to widespread poverty on the African continent.
On Wednesday, May 18, Ngige made the comment.
This was spoken while speaking at the ILO's 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labor, which was held in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.
In Abuja, Mr Olajide Oshundun, the ministry's Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, issued a statement.
Despite teething problems, he noted, Nigeria's current administration had adopted a multi-pronged approach to combating child labor through lowering the poverty index.
Nigeria faces various hurdles in the fight against child labor, according to the minister, who also co-chaired the day's panel. Nigeria faces several hurdles in the fight against child labor, according to the minister, who also co-chaired the day's panel, but is doing everything necessary to address the social disease.
Low revenue earnings due to a drop in crude oil prices and production, as well as over-dependence on imported goods or items, are among the hurdles in the fight to stop child labor, according to Ngige.
Low agricultural production and the resulting economic slump are among the others, according to the ministry.
He blamed Nigeria's deteriorating situation on the COVID-19 epidemic, which slowed global economic activity and pushed the country into a second economic recession in 2020.
Ngige explained;
Even before the present administration, poverty had crept into Nigeria’s socio-economic firmament and accentuated child labour with many non-working age persons taking to farming and artisanal mining.
Also, the educational curriculum not properly developed to give the right and proper skills in the secondary and tertiary institutions compounded matters.
High rate of school dropouts among children also became a major issue and a catchment pool for Child Labour.
Also, decent jobs for young persons gave way to informal, hazardous jobs, such as illegal refining of petroleum products which has claimed scores of lives with attendant pollution.
Ngige added that others were the poor working in heavy construction industry and ill-equipped persons handling dangerous chemicals in industries.
He however said that to reverse poverty which was at the root of child labour, the Federal Government had rolled out various measures including the diversification of the economy.
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