Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Federal Government has urged Nigerian children to reject a world where they are forced to work when they should be in school. This was contained in a statement signed by Patience Onuobia, Head, Information, and Public Relations.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, gave this charge to the children in Abuja on Tuesday at the 2025 Children’s Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour.
Presenting a keynote address at the event organised in commemoration of this year’s World Day against Child Labour, Dingyadi encouraged the children to believe in themselves, urging them to use their ideas to start a movement that would change the nation for the better.
The Minister told the children that the Conference was special because their voices mattered, emphasizing that it provided a unique opportunity for them to speak for themselves.
Dingyadi assured them that their ideas and presentations would form a powerful message to the government, parents, employers, the entire society, and the world over.
He emphasised that the federal government believed in the ideas of the children and would harness them to enhance policies and programmes, ultimately leaving them a proud legacy and creating a world that aligned with their vision and dream.
“Today, we are not just talking about you — we are listening to you, learning from you, and working with you to build a country where every child can grow up safe, educated, and full of dreams that can translate to reality,” the Minister declared.
Dingyadi said: “Children, we want you to know that your dreams matter to all of us, especially to Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is determined to make life better for all Nigerians.”
The Minister also charged adults and parents to protect every child’s right to education, health and dignity, and therefore called for collaborative efforts by all stakeholders to stop practices that expose children to all forms of neglect, danger and exploitation.
While thanking teachers and caregivers for standing with other stakeholders in this mission, Dingyadi identified education as the most powerful weapon against the cycle of poverty and child labour.
Commenting on the theme of this year’s conference, “Progress is clear, but there’s more to do: Let’s speed up efforts!” he said it “reminds us that although we have made some good progress in the fight against child labour, we are not done yet.”
The Minister regretted that “too many children around the world, including in Nigeria, “are still being denied their rights to enjoy childhood — to learn, to play and to grow in a loving and safe environment.”
He told the children to know that they have the right to go to school, not to work in dangerous jobs, to play, not to carry heavy loads, to dream and not to be forced to work long hours.
Dingyadi cited a new report of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNICEF, showing that the number of children involved in child labour around the world has dropped from 160 million to 138 million.
“That is progress, and I am proud to say that Nigeria is part of that progress. But even one child in child labour is one too many. Imagine a Nigeria where every child is in school, learning and becoming the best version of themselves. Imagine a country where no child is working on the streets or in farms under harsh conditions. This is the Nigeria that we are working towards. This is the Nigeria and future you deserve,” the Minister said.
The Country Director of the ILO Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Vanessa Phala, urged the Nigerian government to step up efforts on enforcement of laws to end child labour.
She also called for a speedy passage of the reviewed Labour Standards Bill for the country. According to her, the bill, once passed into law, would align the country’s labour laws with international standards and promote social justice in Nigeria.
“it will address the needs of workers in the informal sector, protection of workers rights, enforcement and sanctions,” she added.
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