The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to ratify key International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions on social security, saying the move would strengthen Nigeria’s social protection system and expand access to healthcare and other welfare benefits for millions of workers, particularly those in the informal economy.

The labour centre specifically urged the government to ratify ILO Convention No. 102 on Minimum Standards of Social Security and Convention No. 130 on Medical Care and Sickness Benefits, describing both instruments as critical to achieving universal social protection and decent work.

Secretary of the NLC Abia State Council, Comrade Chukwuma Nzeh, made the call during a European Union-funded programme organised in partnership with the ILO, UNICEF, the Abia State Health Insurance Agency (ABSHIA), and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

The programme, themed “Strategic Stakeholders Engagement for Scaling Up Social Health Protection for Informal Sector Workers in Abia State,” brought together key stakeholders to explore practical strategies for expanding health insurance coverage to workers in the informal sector, many of whom continue to finance healthcare through out-of-pocket payments.

Nzeh said the continued dependence on out-of-pocket healthcare spending places an enormous financial burden on informal workers who contribute significantly to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), yet remain largely excluded from formal social protection schemes.

According to him, ratifying the two ILO conventions would legally and morally oblige governments at all levels, employers and other stakeholders to establish and strengthen sustainable social protection systems that guarantee access to quality healthcare and income security.

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He noted that the conventions are also in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the commitment to universal health coverage and social protection, as well as Nigeria’s National Development Plan 2021-2025 and broader Vision 2030 aspirations for inclusive growth.

Nzeh acknowledged that although Nigeria is yet to ratify the conventions, agencies such as the NHIA and ABSHIA have already taken commendable steps towards expanding health insurance coverage through sustained advocacy and implementation initiatives.

He explained that workers in the formal sector, including employees of the NLC, currently benefit from health insurance without making out-of-pocket payments at the point of service, stressing that similar protection should be extended to millions of Nigerians working in the informal economy.

He argued that ratification would encourage employers and state governments to invest more in social health insurance and other social security programmes.

“InAbia State, for instance, the governor has committed over ₦5 billion to provide health insurance coverage for vulnerable citizens and is also considering stipends for elderly residents. These are exactly the kinds of social protection measures envisioned under the ILO conventions, where governments establish minimum standards for healthcare services and social security,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the ILO Country Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, Vanessa Phala, Mr. Emmanuel Danjuma said the stakeholders’ engagement was designed to deepen collaboration among key actors and identify practical pathways for expanding social health protection coverage for informal sector workers in Abia State.

He expressed optimism that the engagement would translate into increased enrollment in health insurance schemes and improve access to quality healthcare for vulnerable populations.

Also speaking, the South-East Coordinator of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mrs. Aniebo Chinyere Nwakaego, who represented the Director-General of the Authority, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, highlighted the impact of the NHIA’s Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEmONC) intervention.

She said the initiative was established to significantly reduce maternal and neonatal deaths by providing free emergency obstetric and newborn care for women experiencing complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

According to her, the intervention is currently being implemented in five accredited health facilities across Abia State, namely Madonna Catholic Hospital, Aba; Living Word Mission Hospital; Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia; Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba; and General Hospital, Aba.

She urged pregnant women and healthcare providers to take full advantage of the programme, describing it as a critical intervention aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes while advancing universal health coverage in Nigeria.

The engagement forms part of ongoing efforts by the European Union and its development partners to support Nigeria in expanding inclusive social protection systems and ensuring that vulnerable and underserved populations, particularly workers in the informal economy, have access to affordable and quality healthcare services.