The Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has called for the establishment of a legal framework to regulate labour migration in the country.

Mrs. Margaret Isabona, Chairman, Northern Geographical Group of NECA, made the call during a Policy Dialogue on Friday in Abuja.

The dialogue also featured the inauguration of the Policy Brief on Employer Participation in Labour Migration Governance in Nigeria.

The programme was organised by NECA and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Isabona, who is also the Managing Director of ProHealth, Health Maintained Organisation (HMO), said increasing labour migration required proper governance structures to ensure fairness and accountability in recruitment and employment processes.

According to her, the absence of proper guidelines on labour migration could create challenges for workers and employers across different sectors.

“The absence of clear rules in labour migration exposes both workers and employers to avoidable risks and exploitation,” she said.

She stressed the need for policies that promote decent work, transparent recruitment systems and fair remuneration practices for migrant workers.

“Decent work must be protected through transparent recruitment systems and fair labour practices,” she added.

Isabona said a structured framework would help regulate labour mobility and reduce risks associated with unregulated migration practices.

“We need a structured framework that ensures order, fairness and accountability in labour mobility,” she said.

She urged stakeholders in government and the private sector to support effective labour migration policies that aligned with international labour standards.

Speaking on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr Sunday Onazi, stressed the importance of policy implementation in migration governance.

Onazi said the Federal Government had developed the National Policy on Migration to promote regular and safe migration pathways in Nigeria.

He added that stakeholders, including workers’ unions and employers’ organisations, were developing policies to strengthen migration governance frameworks.

“It is good to formulate policies, but the major challenge in Nigeria has always been implementation,” he said.

According to him, migration and employment remain closely linked because many migrants moved in search of better economic opportunities.

Onazi described NECA as an important stakeholder in labour migration governance because of its role in employment relations and private recruitment processes.

Also speaking, Mr Austine Erameh, Employment and Migration Officer of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to Nigeria, commended NECA for the initiative.

Erameh said the policy brief strengthened evidence-based engagement and enhanced employers’ participation in labour migration governance.

“Being able to articulate these positions in a policy brief that promotes evidence-based labour migration governance is an important step in the right direction,” he said.

Mr Eustace James, National Coordinator of Labour and Migration, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), described the policy brief as a useful governance tool.

James said the document simplified complex labour migration policies and made them easier for stakeholders to understand and apply effectively.

“The policy brief presents labour migration governance issues in a simplified form with clear recommendations that stakeholders can easily understand and apply,” he said.(NAN)(