Senate has urged the Federal Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity to, immediately draw up policies that relate to equality of opportunity and treatment in access to employment by citizens in the country.
It also advised the ministry and other relevant agencies to prohibit and discourage public and private employees in Nigeria from putting up job adverts with inherent undertone calculated to deprive any qualified Nigerian of being gainfully employed merely by reason of his/her age.
Leading debate on the motion titled: “Age requirement precondition for employment in Nigeria: Urgent need for intervention”, its sponsor, Senator Abba Moro (PDP Benue South), noted the uproar within the public over the unabated violation of Chapter 4, Section 42(2) of the Constitution, as amended, which guarantees every citizen the right to freedom from discrimination.
Senator Moro said “it’s pathetic that a graduate in Nigeria who could not
get a job upon graduation and decided to go 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 Masters degree, he comes out to find out that he’s now above the age of employment and and therefore not employable by sole reason of his age.”
“Ironically, a graduate in this country can serve in the National Youth Service Corps programme at the age of 30 (years), but can not be gainfully employed thereafter on the fact that he/she is above 30 years, a situation that is a flagrant breach of his fundamental human rights,” he added.
This, Senator Moro explained presents the predicament of the Nigerian youth who has the requisite qualification, knowledge, skills and is ready to work, but disqualified or excluded on the ground that he/she is above the age limit by reason of his/her birth.
The lawmaker further lamented that “this sad situation has led many to commit age fraud by going all the way to falsify their age to remain within the age limit of employability to the Nigerian civil service, and of course all other employer of labour in the country.”
