The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has raised concerns over Nigeria’s outdated labour laws, particularly the Labour Act of 1971, which it argues fails to address the evolving needs of the country’s workforce.
According to a report by NAN, the labour organization disclosed that while modest updates were made in 2004 and attempted again in 2014, the Act remains largely unchanged and inadequate for safeguarding modern labour rights.
Vanessa Phala, the Director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the ECOWAS Liaison Office, highlighted significant gaps in the current labour law, especially in its lack of coverage for the informal sector, where a large portion of Nigeria’s workforce is employed.
“For over five decades, Nigeria’s primary labour legislation, the Labour Act of 1971, has remained largely unchanged, aside from modest updates in 2004 and efforts in 2014.
“This Act does not fully account for the contemporary realities of…