President Bola Tinubu Launches Four-Year Plan to Tackle Child Labour in Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu has launched a new four-year National Action Plan aimed at eliminating child labour in Nigeria, declaring the issue a national development priority. The plan, covering 2026 to 2030, was unveiled on Wednesday in Abuja during the National Dialogue on Advancing the Implementation of Nigeria’s National Child Labour Policy and National Action Plan. The President, who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, also launched the 2024 National Child Labour Survey Report. According to Tinubu, child labour goes beyond a labour issue because it affects education, poverty reduction, economic growth, food security, human capital development and national security. The Federal Government plans to strengthen labour inspection and child-protection systems while addressing factors that can push children into work, including poverty, unemployment, limited access to quality education and social exclusion. Education has been identified as one of the major tools for tackling the problem. The administration said it is pursuing measures targeting out-of-school children, teacher development, education data and skills acquisition. The government also pointed to the Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme as part of efforts to encourage school attendance while supporting vulnerable children. The plan also places attention on household economic security. Tinubu said programmes including NG-CARES and the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) Programme are intended to expand economic opportunities for parents and caregivers, reducing the pressure that can force children to work to support their families. The President also called on employers to ensure their supply chains are free from child labour and urged state governments, communities, parents, religious and traditional leaders, workers’ organisations and civil society groups to support implementation of the plan. The scale of the issue remains significant. The 2022 National Child Labour Survey by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics and the International Labour Organization estimated that 24.67 million Nigerian children were engaged in child labour, including about 14.39 million involved in hazardous work. The new 2026–2030 action plan is therefore expected to serve as a framework for coordinating government and other stakeholders’ efforts to reduce child labour and protect children from exploitation. Tinubu directed government ministries, departments and agencies, as well as state governments and other stakeholders, to work toward full implementation of the policy and action plan. The Federal Government says the goal is to move from policy commitments to practical action so that more Nigerian children can remain in school and grow up free from exploitation.