PROHIBITION OF CHILD LABOUR IN NIGERIA: THE GAP BETWEEN LEGISLATION AND STATE PRACTICE

Abstract

Child labor remains a persistent socio-legal challenge in Nigeria despite the existence of domestic legislation and international obligations aimed at its prohibition. Nigeria has ratified key international labor standards and enacted statutes such as the Child’s Rights Act 2003, the Labour Act 2004, and relevant constitutional provisions designed to protect children from economic exploitation and hazardous employment. Notwithstanding this framework, the continued prevalence of child hawking, domestic servitude, agricultural labor, street trading, and other exploitative practices raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of legislation and state practice. The central problem examined in this study is the widening gap between Nigeria’s formal legal commitments and the realities of implementation and enforcement, among other factors. The study argues that although Nigeria’s legislative framework on the prohibition of child labor is comparatively robust on paper, state practice reflects structural, institutional, and socio-economic deficiencies that hinder meaningful compliance and protection. The study adopts doctrinal analysis and critical evaluation of implementation patterns, using primary sources, including statutes, cases, and treaties, and secondary sources, including books, journal articles, theses, newspaper publications, and online materials. It concludes that sustainable eradication of child labor in Nigeria requires strengthened enforcement institutions and harmonized state adoption of protective legislation, among others.