Nigeria, Philippines pledge stronger labour, migration ties

To encourage labour migration, Nigeria and the Philippines have agreed to work more closely on protecting migrant workers and stopping human trafficking. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, affirmed this while hosting the Philippine delegation led by the Secretary of Migrant Workers, Hon. Hans Leo J. Cacdac, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday in Abuja. Welcoming the delegation, Minister Tuggar recalled the longstanding relationship between both countries, noting the contributions of Filipino professionals in Nigeria. He told the visiting officials that under President Bola Tinubu’s foreign policy agenda, Democracy, Demography, Development, and Diaspora; Nigeria was eager to learn from the Philippines’ global reputation for managing overseas workers. The Foreign Minister also spoke about Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps (TAC) programme, which deploys skilled Nigerian professionals to African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries.
He said plans to transform it into a revenue-generating venture and expand collaboration with other nations. He said, “Many Nigerians of my generation were taught by Filipino teachers, especially in STEM fields. These ties extend beyond knowledge sharing, they help build cultural bridges. We want to ensure our own diaspora workers are protected and empowered just as the Philippines does, with dignity, respect, and full government support. We want our workers to go abroad with dignity and protection. We are working on finalizing about nine pending agreements with the Philippines, and Secretary Cacdac has proposed a tenth, focusing specifically on labour.” Responding, Secretary Cacdac conveyed his president’s directive to deepen labour relations with partner countries, including Nigeria.
The Philippine minister requested the creation of a dedicated labour office in the Philippine Embassy in Abuja to serve Filipino workers in Nigeria and strengthen liaison with Nigerian authorities. He stressed the importance of mutual learning in migration governance, anti-trafficking measures, and labour systems development. He also described Nigeria as a safe haven for overseas Filipino workers. He said, “We met with some of our nationals here and are happy to see that Nigeria has been a safe and welcoming place for them. We are here to build upon that goodwill and ensure stronger coordination and protection mechanisms. This will help us better serve our people here and their families back home through specific programs and services. Our goal is to further strengthen people-to-people ties through institutional cooperation. This includes knowledge-sharing on labour practices and building safer migration pathways for our citizens.
“Our president has mandated that we ease bureaucratic processes back home, especially for foreign employment. We are a signatory to the UN Convention on the Protection of Migrant Workers, and we uphold the welfare of both our workers abroad and foreign workers in the Philippines.” Both sides expressed commitment to formalizing agreements that would improve labour mobility, professional exchanges, and migrant worker protection. Cacdac will also meet with Nigeria’s Minister of Labour to further develop cooperation frameworks.