Abuja: Nigeria’s Senate has approved the Informal Sector Employment Regulation Bill, a landmark legislation designed to formalise millions of jobs outside the traditional wage system, strengthen workers’ rights, and boost economic productivity 2025, on Wednesday.
Lawmakers said the bill would provide a legal framework for regulating employment in the informal sector, ensuring greater accountability, social protection, and improved working conditions for artisans, traders, and other self‑employed Nigerians.
This was a sequel to the consideration and adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity at plenary.
Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Diket Plang, noted that the Bill was sponsored by Sen. Sani Musa (APC-Niger).
He stated that the Bill aimed to provide for the documentation, protection, and regulation of domestic workers, apprentices, interns, and other informal sector employees in Nigeria.
“This is to be enforced and implemented by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
“The intent of the Bill is informed by the increasing incidences of assaults, abuses and torture of domestic workers by their employers or hosts.
“These abuses range from slave labour, physical abuse, sexual exploitation and unwarranted exploitation without a commensurate reward system.
“The Bill also seeks to implement the Domestic Workers Convention 2011 (Nо. 189), a Treaty that encourages National Governments to protect domestic workers from violence and abuse.
“Also to regulate private employment agencies that recruit and employ domestic workers, as well as prevent child labour in domestic work”.
He added that the primary objectives of the Bill are to formalise the employment of domestic workers, apprentices, interns, and other informal sector employees in Nigeria.
The Bill was subsequently adopted and passed for third reading.