The federal government is set to deploy organised labour migration as an instrument of national growth and development underpinned by the national Vision 20:2020.

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, made this known at the National Validation Workshop on the Draft National labour Migration Policy, jointly organised by the ministry and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Abuja.

Wogu reiterated that in view of the abundant human resources in the country, government is set to deploy labour migration as an instrument of national growth and development. Represented by the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, he made the remarks in a speech delivered on his behalf at the workshop.

“As you all may know, labour migration is far from being a new phenomenon, as women and men have been leaving their homelands in search of better lives elsewhere for centuries. The difference now is that labour migration is a far more widespread phenomenon in this era of globalisation than before due to improvement in international communication and transportation systems,” Wogu stated.

Speaking further, the minister stressed that it has also become imperative for the country to be more proactive in developing programmes to harness the benefits of organised labour migration for national development in line with the Transformation Agenda of President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

“The elaboration of the Draft Labour Migration Policy being validated today was the initiative of this administration. It is the first time an effort is made to document our national aspirations and expectations out of a well managed labour migration system,” Wogu emphasised.

The minister stated that migration is emerging as one of the most critical social and economic issues of this decade, adding that labour migration policy articulates State commitment to ensuring a labour migration process that adheres to the principles of good governance, rights and responsibilities enshrined in international instruments to advance opportunities for all men and women to engage in labour migration for decent and productive employment in conditions of freedom, dignity, security and equity.

“The Draft Labour Migration Policy is being reviewed to incorporate all observations and amendments in preparation for its presentation to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for consideration and adoption.

“It is our strong belief that it will also strengthen national capacity to manage organised labour migration and deter irregular migration while optimising the benefits of labour migration for national development,” he added.

In his welcome remarks, the Chief of Mission, IOM, Mr. Martin Ocaga, revealed that the objective of the validation workshop is to provide a platform for stakeholders to review, amend and validate the current draft Labour Migration Policy prior to its presentation to the FEC for consideration and endorsement for implementation.

The endorsement of the policy, he said, would strengthen the legal and policy framework for organised labour migration and also enhance the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity’s capacity in the promotion and management of orderly legal labour migration in Nigeria.