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Welcome to Federal Ministry of Labour
   
The Federal Ministry of Labor and Productivity as it is known today has been in existence since 1939 and although this nomenclature went through numerous changes, the core purpose of the Ministry has been to ensure cordial relations between workers and employers in both the public and private sectors.

DR. HASSAN MUHAMMAD LAWAL

HONOURABLE MINISTER OF LABOUR
 
The outbreak of the Second World War brought to the fore a need to pay greater attention to the resources necessary for the war efforts. The Trade Unions Ordnance was enacted in the same year and a body was created, headed by a Labor Inspector to deal with labor matters. When the job became too enormous, a second Labor Inspector was appointed and the two were attached to the Governor’s Office. As it turned out, the workload at the Governor’ Office left them no time for field activities which were essential to the job.
 
As agitation by workers over Cost Of Living allowance grew and escalated, it became obvious that the two Labor could not cope with spate of labor unrest. In order to address these problems, the Department of Labor was established on 01 October 1942, headed by a Commissioner and two Labor Officers. The Department was charged with the task of dealing with the increasing discontent and rumblings within the labor movements and the facilitation of the policy of ensuring the orderly development of Industrial Relations as well as to enforce protective legislations. By 1944, the Department had grown into an outfit consisting of one commissioner, a Deputy Commissioner, eight Labor Officers, Two Assistant Labor Officers and another eight Assistants-in-training. In order to ensure greater effectiveness, field offices were opened in Enugu, Kaduna and Lagos where there were high concentrations of industries and workers.
 
The Littleton constitution and emergence of a Federal system of Government saw the creation of the Ministry of Labor which functioned side by side with the Department of Labor, until the two were merged on 01 April 1958. From Independence in 1960 to the present the scope of activities and responsibilities assigned to the Ministry has increased tremendously including several changes in nomenclature including The Federal Ministry of Employment Labor and Productivity in1979 and the present Ministry of Labor, which it assumed in January 2007.