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Kenneth Udeh, Abuja
The Senate Wednesday resolved to consider the removal of the age limit as a required precondition for job seekers in the country. The Senate while deliberating on a motion sponsored by Sen. Moro Abba Patrick (Benue South) noted that age constraint has increased unemployment in the country amid the harsh economic situation.
Moro’s motion was sequel to a resolution passed by the Senate after it set up a committee led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu with the mandate of considering the expulsion of age prerequisites from job advertorials.
Addressing his colleagues, Moro pointed out that employers who specify age limit as part of their employment requirements were violating 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.
Moro emphasised that setting age limit for a job seeker is form of employment discrimination, explaining the Nigerian unemployment situation, he narrated that unemployed graduates due to their inability to secure a job after obtaining their first degree and completing the mandatory National Youth Service Corps Program (NYSC) decide to return to school to obtain a higher degree in order to boost their chances of securing employment.
Moro however lamented that despite securing higher degrees i.e. Masters, job seekers still remain unemployed as they find themselves above the age limit set by most employers in the country.
Moro mentioned problems created by age limitations; “the circumstances described by age requirements 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 sole and unjustifiable ground that he/she is above the age limit by reason of his/her birth.
“This sad situation has led many to commit age fraud by going all way out 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,
Explaining further, the Lawmaker said that it was unacceptable to deny employment to a graduate who possesses the requisite qualification, knowledge,physical and mental skills and is readiness to work on the basis of age.
Moro while calling on the Senate to mandate public and private employers to remove age limits from their employment requirements also argued that it is Ironical that graduates in the country are allowed to participate in the NYSC programme at age 30 but cannot be gainfully employed thereafter on the fact that he/she is above 30 years. A situation the Senator described as a flagrant breach of fundamental human rights.
Giving his nod to the motion, Senator representing Enugu West, Osita Ngwu narrated a life situation where a friend of his in the process of securing a job after graduation falsified his age on different occasions. Nwgu urged the Senate to prohibit and discourage public and private employers putting age limits in their job adverts in order to prevent such fraudulent practices adding that the deprivation of qualified graduates will continue if age limits weren’t expunged from job advertorials.
However, Senator Adams Osiomhole disagreed with the motion saying that it will be unconstitutional for the Senate to mandate employers to remove age limits.
The former Labour Union Leader explained that though there was no law in the country which prevents employers from employing graduates above the age of 30, it will be absurd for the Senate to impose employment criteria for employers in the country.
He said “Employers in the country understand the qualities of the kind of graduates they want to employ. The employers are in the best position to determine the kind of graduates who can perform the mental and physical needs of the job they advertise. It would not be right for the Senate to impose an employment benchmark for employers.
The Senate accordingly directed the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and Productivity to immediately draw up policies that relate to equality of opportunity and treatment in access to employment at all levels.
In addition the Senate urged the Civil Service commission and the Head of Service to urgently address issues of discrimination experienced by job seekers in the country.
