By Victor Ahiuma -Young

LAGOS— EUROPEAN Union, EU,  is to boost the Federal Government’s campaign against forced labour and child trafficking under a new agreement that targets the forced trafficking of Nigerian women to Italy.

EU’s collaboration with Nigeria followed talks between the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu and EU officials on the fringes of the International Labour Conference which ended in Geneva, Switzerland, weekend.

A statement by Special Assistant (Media) to the minister, Mr. Emma Aziken, said EU was represented at the talks by Goder Yohannes, Coordinator of the European Union Commission Project on Combating Human Trafficking under Forced Labour and the unit head of the programme, Ms. Carolyn Reilly. Also in the Nigerian delegation were Mrs. Bola Ajayi and Mr. Peter Ajuzie, the Ministry of Labour representative at ILO.

Under the fresh collaboration between EU and Nigeria, union is expected to make financial and technical provisions to increase the capacity of the government in the campaign against the exploitation of Nigerians who are illegally exported to Europe for illegal work.

The Italian government is expected to play a central role in the campaign through its Equal Employment Office.

Welcoming the development Wogu said: “I am highly elated that the relationship between Nigeria and the EU is being taken to higher heights and I have given them my assurance that the Nigerian government will indeed fulfill its own aspect of the agreement. They have agreed to give us the technical assistance including capacity building of our people and I am even happier that issues concerning forced labour and issues that will be driven by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity.”

“The programme is expected to involve trade unions and employers organizations and officials of the Nigeria Ministry of Labour under an arrangement that will see the training of Nigerian government officials involved in checking the forced exportation of Nigerian labour to Europe .

It behooves on us to meet certain conditions like the provision of office and capturing the funding aspect in the budget but then the funding from the EU is heavy but Nigeria should be expecting technical and funding assistance.”