Employers of labour in the country have been urged to relax age requirements as a precondition for employment in Nigeria.
Therefore, on Wednesday, the Senate called upon the Federal Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Productivity, along with other relevant agencies, to discourage public and private employers from denying employment opportunities to millions of job seekers based solely on age requirements.
Additionally, the Federal Ministry was urged to promptly develop policies that promote equality of opportunity and treatment in accessing employment at all levels.
These actions were prompted by a motion titled “Age Requirement Precondition for Employment in Nigeria, Urgent Need for Intervention” sponsored by Senator Abba Moro, who represents the Benue South Senatorial district.
According to Senator Moro, age limits or preconditions for employment violate Chapter 4, Section 42(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which guarantees every citizen the right to freedom from discrimination.
Senator Moro also referred to the International Labour Organisation’s provision, which defines employment discrimination in economic terms as a violation of human rights.
Such discrimination wastes human talent, hampers productivity and economic growth, and generates socioeconomic inequalities that undermine social cohesion and solidarity while impeding poverty reduction efforts.
He lamented that it is distressing “that a graduate in Nigeria who cannot find a job upon graduation and decides to further their education with the hope that a higher qualification, such as a second or Master’s degree, will provide better employment opportunities, faces a career paradox when they complete their degree and find themselves above the age of employability, rendering them unemployable based solely on their age.”
The Senator further noted the irony that a graduate in the country can serve in the National Youth Service Corps program at the age of 30 but cannot find gainful employment afterwards simply because they are now above the age of 30. This situation represents a blatant violation of their fundamental rights.
“The circumstances described above present the predicament of Nigerian youth who possess the required qualifications, knowledge, skills, and are ready to work but are disqualified or excluded solely because they surpass the age limit based on their date of birth,” Moro argued.
He pointed out that this unfortunate situation has led many individuals to commit age fraud by falsifying their age in order to remain within the employable age limit for the Nigerian Civil Service and other employers of labour in the country.
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