Stop Depriving Nigerians Employment Opportunities On Age Ground – Senate Tells Employers

The Senate on Wednesday urged employers of labour to relax age requirement as a precondition for employment.

It also asked the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity and other relevant agencies to restrict public and private employers from depriving millions of job seekers employment opportunities on age ground.

This followed a motion by Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue) who noted that age limit as precondition for employment violates Chapter 4, Section 42(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantees every citizen the right to freedom from discrimination.

He said it was pathetic that a graduate in Nigeria who could not get a job upon graduation and decided to return to school with the hope that a higher qualification, vis-a- vis a second or Master’s Degree could give him/her a better employment opportunity but is thrown into a career paradox when, upon completion of his Master’s Degree, he/she finds out that he/she is above the age of employment and therefore not employable by the sole reason of his age.