An international jobs agency is promising to keep helping Nigeria with its welfare programs. The International Labour Organization's country director for Nigeria, Vanessa Phala, made this commitment at a government event in Abuja focused on getting casual workers some basic protections. Phala, speaking through a technical advisor named Shailendra Kumar, called social protection a human right and an economic must-do. She pointed out that a massive 85.2 percent of Nigerians, including most informal workers, lack proper coverage. The Nigerian Minister of Labour, Muhammad Dingyadi, laid out a plan to reach over 60 million people in markets, farms, and transport jobs using mobile tech for health insurance and micro-pensions.
The minister detailed specific projects with agencies like the National Health Insurance Authority and a social insurance trust fund. He mentioned a micro-pension plan from the national pension commission and pilot programs with groups like UNICEF and the World Bank. He warned the meeting needed real action, not just another document for the shelf. Another official, Bernard Doro from the poverty reduction ministry, echoed the struggles of informal workers, noting their unstable pay and lack of safety nets. A business association director, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde from NECA, called the talk timely and pledged support, suggesting using existing worker groups to spread these new benefits effectively.
The minister detailed specific projects with agencies like the National Health Insurance Authority and a social insurance trust fund. He mentioned a micro-pension plan from the national pension commission and pilot programs with groups like UNICEF and the World Bank. He warned the meeting needed real action, not just another document for the shelf. Another official, Bernard Doro from the poverty reduction ministry, echoed the struggles of informal workers, noting their unstable pay and lack of safety nets. A business association director, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde from NECA, called the talk timely and pledged support, suggesting using existing worker groups to spread these new benefits effectively.
