Legislature
Senate moves to standardise employment in informal sector
In its bid to regulate and formalise informal sector employment in Nigeria, the Senate has considered and passed for second reading a bill in that direction.
The bill also seeks to empower the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to issue licences and monitor privately owned employment agencies whose responsibility will be to enroll employees, such as domestic workers, apprentices and interns in their data bank, safeguard and enhance their social security and oversee their social recruitment by employers who engaged in legitimate occupation on such terms and conditions as may be agreed by the parties.
Leading the debate on the bill, its sponsor, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (APC-Niger East), said the primary goal of the bill is to regulate the sector to promote strategic objectives.
These objectives, he said, included “the promotion of rights at work, employment, social protection and social dialogue.
“On the contrary, many jobs in the informal labour market in Nigeria still experience work deficit. Employees in the informal sector are often seen as having no right and are not treated fairly by their employers. All of these, this bill seeks to correct.
“This bill empowers the National Directorate of Employment(NDE) to issue license and monitor the activities if Employment Agencies throughout the country.”
According to Senator Musa, “the informal sector is usually regarded as the residual labour market where labour is highly heterogeneous and sources of income are not largely wage dependant; working time is discretionary and some jobs are not paid at all.
“The wide range of information available is that the operations in the sector are usually in small scale; that production technique is labour intensive and that ownership is usually private.
“In most cases, the workers in this sector are family members, apprentices and few paid employees.
“Labour practices within the informal sector of Nigerian economy show evidence of violation if employees’ right and non implementation of labour regulations.
“Although the informal sector provides a safety net for skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled labour who could not find job in the formal market, however, the informal sector in Nigeria has practices that are not in conformity with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) best practices as ratified in its conventions
“Notwithstanding that Nigeria is a signatory to these conventions, there are still a lot of deficits in the implementation of these conventions.
“One of such areas of concern relates to decent work deficits. Decent work is work with fair and equal treatment, decent renumeration, and fair conditions of employment, safety and social protection, opportunities for training and development, and collective bargaining.”
Commenting on the bill, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (APC-Sokoto North) described it as “timely and desirable in today’s modern Nigeria ”
On his part, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC – Niger North) decried the unfair treatment of employees in the informal sector by their employers, saying that the situation called for concern and urgent steps to remedy it.
Abdullahi, however, called for a balance protectiion of both the employees and employers in the informal sector, as according to him, the employers also suffer indecent treatment from their employees.
He called for integration of data obtained from registration of such employees by the employment agencies with the National Data Base to avoid engaging unscrupulous foreigners for such employments.
After the Bill passed for second reading, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, referred it to the Senate committee on Labour and Productivity for further legislative process.
***Allocates N23.96 Trillion for Capital Projects, N14.31 Trillion for Debt Servicing
The Nigerian Senate along with the House of Represebtatives have passed the 2025 Appropriation Bill, approving a record-breaking budget of N54,990,165,355,396 to finance government activities in the coming fiscal year.
The budget, titled A Bill for an Act to Authorise the Issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, was approved after deliberations on its allocations and implications for economic growth, debt management, and infrastructure development.
The chairman of the National Assemble Godswill Akpabio who is also the President of the Senate gave the beakdown of the 2025 Budget to show that Statutory Transfers: ₦3.65 trillion, debt Servicing: ₦14.32 trillion, Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure: ₦13.06 trillion and
Capital Expenditure: ₦23.96 trillion
The largest chunk of the budget, ₦23.96 trillion, was allocated for capital expenditure, aimed at infrastructure development, healthcare, education, and security.
This signals the government’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s infrastructural deficit.
However, the ₦14.32 trillion earmarked for debt servicing highlights the country’s rising debt burden, sparking concerns over long-term financial sustainability.
With the National Assembly approval, the budget now awaits President Bola Tinubu’s assent, after which implementation will begin. Analysts predict a challenging fiscal year, balancing economic growth with prudent spending and debt repayment.
However, time will tell whether the historic budget will deliver on its promises, or economic realities force adjustments down the line?
***Says addittional fund is to Prioritize Infrastructure, Health, Economic Growth
The chairman of the senate committee on Appropriation Senator Adeola Solomon Olamilekan has explained the approval of the 2025 Appropriation Bill by the national Assembly which it increased from N49.7 trillion to N54.99 trillion—the highest in the nation’s history.
The adjustment followed legislative reviews that uncovered additional revenues from key government agencies.
While explaining the Budget Expansion and Revenue Sources Olamilekan indicated that the additional N4.99 trillion was sourced from Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs)
These he said led to an increase in funding for critical sectors, including N1.5 trillion for Bank of Agriculture, N500 billion for Bank of Industry, 1 trillion for Ministry of Solid Minerals, N1.5 trillion for Renewable Infrastructure Fund, N300 billion – Road construction and N400 billion for Rail transport.
Others are N380 billion of Water resources, irrigation, and dam projects, N250 billion for Military barracks renovation N120 billion for New military aviation projects, N50 billion for Border security agencies
Following the suspension of U.S. health aid, which previously provided funding for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and polio treatments, President Tinubu approved $200 million (N300 billion) to ensure continued medical supplies and healthcare support for affected patients.
On the major Boost for Infrastructure Development he said a record N23.7 trillion has been allocated for capital projects, marking a significant leap in infrastructure investment.
He listed the areas the funds will focus on to include Roads and railways,nEducation and healthcare improvements and Other critical public infrastructure
To prevent delays in budget implementation, the 2026 budget process will begin in July 2025, with the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) submitted early and the Appropriation Bill expected by October 2025.
Concerns over inadequate rail infrastructure funding in the South East were raised, but legislative leaders clarified that rail projects are primarily funded through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
According to him, the 2025 budget focuses on light rail development in Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna, and Kano, while further discussions on South East projects are ongoing.
He explained that to maintain Economic Stability the budget parameters remain unchanged, with key revenue sources including FIRS increasing its revenue target to N25.1 trillion, Nigeria Customs Service boosting revenue collection through stricter enforcement and Independent revenue agencies contributing 100% of their generated funds to the federal government
The House of Representatives has directed its Joint Committee on Communications and Interior to investigate reports of unauthorized National Identification Number (NIN) linkages by telecom service providers across Nigeria.
The decision followed the unanimous adoption of a motion jointly sponsored by Hon. Patrick Umoh (APC, Akwa Ibom) and Hon. Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo). The House also instructed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to probe the allegations and sanction any telecom operator found guilty of violating privacy laws.
Additionally, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has been asked to clarify whether telecom providers were authorized to link NINs to subscriber lines and if such actions comply with existing regulations.
Hon. Umoh raised concerns about recent reports indicating that telecom companies have linked NINs to subscribers’ SIM cards without their consent. He warned that this unauthorized linkage exposes Nigerians to criminal activities, such as identity theft, financial fraud, and other cybercrimes.
“This action is a clear violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019, which guarantee the right to privacy and the protection of personal data,” Umoh stated.
He further emphasized that while the NIN system was introduced to enhance national security and streamline identification processes, unauthorized linkages undermine public trust and jeopardize citizens’ safety.
“Aware that innocent citizens have been wrongly implicated in crimes, suffered reputational damage, harassment, and legal challenges for offenses they know nothing about, it is imperative that we address this issue immediately,” Umoh added.
The House has mandated the probe committee to submit its findings within four weeks, as lawmakers seek to protect Nigerians from potential data breaches and uphold the integrity of national security protocols.
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