President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Instrument of Ratification for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No.190 to eliminate violence and harassment in workplaces.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ms Kachollom Daju, made the disclosure at the opening ceremony of a two-day Regional Sensitization Workshop on ILO Convention No. 190 on Violence and Harassment and Eliminating Gender- Based Violence (GBV) in the workplace for professional officers in the three Northern geo-political zones.

While noting that the document was set to be deposited with the Director General of the ILO by the ministry, Daju said Nigeria was the fourth country in Africa and the eighth in the world to ratify the convention.

The permanent secretary said the ministry had already inserted prohibitions on violence and harassment, including sexual harassment in the just-concluded review exercise of the National Labour Bills.

She stated that the ratification comes with an enormous responsibility and reporting obligation for Nigeria. She called on labour Officers in the states to put their best foot forward as it is their duty to implement, intercept and intervene in all cases of violence and harassment, and other related unfair labour practices in all workplaces after the convention is domesticated.

“The Ministry’s Headquarters will also be depending on you to generate and gather data that will be used to develop a comprehensive First Report of Nigeria’s implementation of the Convention to the ILO when the time comes” she said in a statement issued by the Head, Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Olajide Oshundun.

The permanent Secretary appreciated the ILO Regional Office in Abuja, and the International Labour Office, Geneva for providing the technical support for the workshop, and for its support in ensuring that Nigeria’s Labour Administration System operated in line with international best practice.

Director, Productivity Measurement and Labour Standards, Mrs Juliana Adebambo, said that in order to facilitate widespread and acceptance of the convention, the ministry with technical support from the ILO had convened a series of preliminary activities across the six geo-political zones in the country and the two-day workshop was first in the lineup.