FG Moves To Extend Social Protection To Informal Workers, Holds Dialogue In Sokoto

FG Moves To Extend Social Protection To Informal Workers, Holds Dialogue In Sokoto

From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto

The Federal Government has begun moves to extend social security protection to workers in the informal economy, to ensure they live and work under decent and humane conditions.

This was disclosed at a State-Level Social Dialogue on Extending Social Protection to Workers in the Informal Economy, organized by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Sokoto.

The dialogue was organized with support from the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, the International Labour Organisation, ILO, UNICEF and the European Union.

In his keynote address, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, Katukan Sokoto, said the Federal Government is touring the country to mobilize support for extending social protection to informal workers.

“We are going round the country to mobilise support and understanding of the informal sector and our partners to ensure that we extend social security protection to informal workers in Nigeria,” Dingyadi said.

The Minister described the initiative as a critical step towards providing safety nets, improving access to support services and enhancing the welfare of workers who currently lack any form of protection.

He noted that while workers in the formal sector enjoy pensions and other social services that make their working conditions comfortable, workers in the informal sector are left to survive on their own without any security cover.

“And that is why we are going round to let people know, let government know, let employers know that this protection is necessary, it is a right, and we need to extend it to the informal economy,” he stressed.

According to him, the majority of Nigerian workers are in the informal sector, contributing immensely to economic growth, hence the need to provide a security network that guarantees decent work and decent life.

“We are trying to ensure and promote that the workers, especially in the informal sector, are providing the best for the economy of the country to grow,” he added.

In his remarks, Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Muhammad Bello Sifawa, described the initiative as timely and commendable, assuring that the state government is ready to partner with all willing donor organizations to achieve the goals of social protection.

Also speaking, the Country Director of the International Labour Organisation, ILO, Mrs. Vanessa Phala, said the ILO is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment under European Union funding, implemented by the ILO in partnership with UNICEF.

Phala explained that the dialogue in Sokoto is aimed at exploring strategies to extend social protection to informal workers and to develop a roadmap that will identify where the informal workers are, what protection they currently have, and what additional coverage should be extended to ensure no one is left behind.

“We are very pleased with the collaboration with the Ministry, as well as the leadership of the Executive Governor of Sokoto State,” she said, noting that the presence of government at the dialogue is a testimony of commitment.

A lead paper titled “Social Dialogue for Extending Social Protection to Workers in the Informal Economy” was presented by Mr. Emmanuel Danjuma, Project Manager, SUSI, among other presentations.

Dignitaries at the event included the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, leaders of various labour unions and representatives of national and international organisations.