The federal government is set to domesticate the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) ratified by 39 countries representing 68 per cent of global shipping in Geneva, Switzerland more than half a decade ago.
This was one of the outcomes of a brief Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice-President Muhammad Namadi Sambo.
The other was the receipt by FEC of a preliminary report on the Canada investment conference held in Toronto.
The ministers who were at the conference, gave reports of the successful hosting of the forum while the report showed that the reform programme of the federal government received positive global review.
The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, who alongside his labour and transport counterparts, Chief Emeka Nwogu and Senator Idris Umar respectively, briefed journalists yesterday, said for seven years Nigeria was unable to domesticate the agreement despite the various advantages attached to doing so.
The meeting, however, approved the joint memorandum submitted for the domestication by Wogu and Idris and forwarded it to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Muhammad Bello Adoke to prepare the legal instrument.
The MLC is an an ancillary of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention established as the fourth pillar of the international maritime law embodying various extant international maritime labour conventions and recommendations, as well as the fundamental principles to be found in other international labour conventions."
The code of the convention contains five titles: minimum requirements for seafarers to work on a ship, conditions of employment, accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering, health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection as well as compliance and enforcement.
The advantage of the agreement to Nigeria, according to Wogu and Umar is that it will benefit young Nigerians who will get employment as seafarers in the international seafaring business.
There are already 4362 Nigerians who are currently working on board international ships across the globe. The domestication will further give them coverage on all the items in the convention’s code.
The convention is expected to come into force by August 1.
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