Rethinking the Decent Work Deficit in Nigeria: A Multi-Dimensional Measurement Framework and Regional Analysis

This doctoral study develops an original multi-dimensional measurement framework for assessing the decent work deficit in Nigeria, applying it in a rigorous regional comparative analysis across all six geopolitical zones to generate new empirical insights into the geography of labour market exclusion and employment quality. The ILO Decent Work Agenda provides the normative foundation, but its application to Nigerian labour markets has been hampered by the absence of a validated, Nigeria-specific measurement instrument that accounts for informal economy realities, regional institutional heterogeneity, and cultural dimensions of work quality not captured by standard ILO indicators. Drawing on Sen's Capabilities Approach, Ghai's Decent Work Framework, and Alkire and Foster's Multidimensional Poverty Index methodology, this study employs an instrument development and comparative analysis design. The measurement framework was constructed through expert Delphi consultations with 45 Nigerian labour economists, HR practitioners, and workers' representatives, validated through pilot testing with 500 workers, and applied to a nationally representative analytical sample of 3,200 workers drawn from NBS Labour Force Survey secondary data. The original theoretical contribution is the Nigerian Decent Work Index (NDWI), a validated 28-indicator composite measure encompassing employment security, fair remuneration, social protection, worker rights, work-life balance, and social dialogue dimensions calibrated for Nigerian institutional realities. The regional comparative analysis reveals stark geopolitical zone differentials in decent work attainment, with North East and North West zones recording scores 62 percent below South West averages. The NDWI is submitted for adoption by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment as a national monitoring tool. Keywords: decent work, measurement framework, Nigeria, geopolitical zones, multidimensional index