Senate has urged the Federal Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity, to discourage age limit as employment criteria in Public or private owned establishments in Nigeria.
The resolution of the Senate on Wednesday,19th July, was sequel to a motion titled “Age Requirement Precondition for Employment in Nigeria, Urgent Need for Intervention” was sponsored by Senator Abba Morom PDP, Benue South.
In the debate, Moro noted that age limit as precondition for employment violates Chapter 4, section 42(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), adding that the section guarantees every citizen of the country right to freedom of discrimination.
Moro said, “graduate in Nigeria who could not get a job upon graduation and decided to back to school with the hope that a higher qualification, vis-a-vis a second or Masters Degree, could give him a better employment opportunity is thrown into a career paradox when upon completion of his Master’s Degree he comes out to find that he is now above the age of employment and therefore not employable by the sole reason of his age”.
He also said that it is “ironical that a graduate in this country can serve in the National Youth Service Corps programme at age 30 but cannot be gainfully employed, thereafter on the fact that he/ she is now above 30 years, a situation that is a flagrant breach of his fundamental rights.
“The circumstances described in the foregoing present the predicament of the Nigerian youth who has the requisite qualification, knowledge, and skills and is ready to work but disqualified or excluded on the sole and unjustifiable ground that he/ she is above the age limit because of his/ her birth”.
He added that this 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.
He further urged the ministry of Labour, to put down policies equality of opportunity.
