Employment
Labour Act for 'workers' only, with the National Industrial Court as the specialist forum
The Labour Act protects manual and clerical 'workers' but excludes administrative, executive and professional staff, whose terms rest on contract. The National Industrial Court of Nigeria has exclusive jurisdiction over labour disputes and applies international best practice and ratified ILO conventions directly.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National Industrial Court of Nigeria; appeals to the Court of Appeal, and to the Supreme Court only on fundamental rights questions.
Governing law
- Labour Act, Cap L1 LFN 2004 — Applies to 'workers'; excludes professional and executive staff.
- Constitution (Third Alteration) Act, 2010 — Constitutionalised the National Industrial Court and its exclusive labour jurisdiction.
- Employees' Compensation Act, 2010 — Contributory workplace injury scheme via NSITF.
- Trade Unions Act, Cap T14 LFN 2004
In practice
The Labour Act's protective core is limited by its definition of 'worker' in s.91, which excludes those exercising administrative, executive, technical or professional functions — a large share of the formal workforce, for whom the contract and the common law govern. The decisive institutional development is the National Industrial Court: the Third Alteration Act 2010 gave it constitutional status and exclusive jurisdiction over labour and employment matters, and s.254C(1)(f)-(h) permits it to apply international best practices and ratified conventions. That has produced a body of case law rejecting the old common-law rule that an employer may terminate for any or no reason, requiring valid reasons for dismissal in line with ILO Convention 158. The Employees' Compensation Act 2010 replaced the Workmen's Compensation Act with a contributory scheme administered by NSITF.