The Federal Government has declared child labour intolerable in Nigeria, describing it as a criminal offence and directing relevant agencies to immediately report cases involving children engaged in hazardous work related to mining, agriculture and construction.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr Kamil Shoretire, gave the directive at a training workshop for labour reporters organized by the Labour Correspondents Association of Nigeria, LACAN, in Abuja.
He said although the ministry had a clear policy on the elimination of child labour, monitoring activities in specialized sectors remained primarily the responsibility of the relevant regulatory authorities.
According to him, legal mining operations must meet prescribed standards, stressing that local and state authorities must report illegal mining activities to enable relevant security agencies to intervene.
