Senator Ibrahim Gobir ( Sokoto East) on Wednesday led the motion titled: ” Urgent Need To Review Age Barrier During Recruitment And Employment “.
The Senate is urging the Federal Government to urgently raise the age limit attached to Jobs in the country.
“Due to the high unemployment rate in the country, many graduates spend up to 10 years seeking employment and this puts them in a disadvantaged position by no fault of theirs.”
“Many individuals resort to falsifying their age all in a bid to fall within the required age limit for them to be gainfully employed.”
“This development, where a person believes he is unemployable can lead them to embracing criminal activities and further increase the growing crime rate and
insecurity in the country.”
Sen Gobir pleaded with the Senate to urge the Federal Government to set up a committee to review the age limit for recruitment and Employment so that competent Nigerians can be employed by MDA’s ( Ministries, Departments And Agencies).
However, Sen Bala Na’Allah (Kebbi South) said the Senate can only achieve the review of age limit only if the restraint placed on employment over employment by the FG.
“I think the motion is apt and timely. The major basis for the Senate to proceed on that request lies in the fact that, as an institution, we must take notice that the federal government on its own placed embargo on employment for over 13 years now.”
“The period that there have been embargo by the Federal Government in itself should be considered in the review of age limit.”
“For example, if the age limit is 23, we must now add the 13 or 14 years of embargo on employment to the age already earmarked for employment, so that the age will be plus 13, because it is the government on its own that placed the embargo on employment.”
“There cannot be justification for you to place embargo on employment, then at the same time expect graduates to remain at the age they were during the period of the embargo.”
“I think in the review, that has to be taken into account, and therefore, the age limit can now be raised in addition to the established age. That should be the legal verdict for the review.”
In the remarks of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan:
“It is not through a fault of theirs that people are discriminated against. They’ll tell you only 30 years limit, meanwhile someone graduated 10 years ago.”
“This is a very good motion urging the Ministry of Labour and Productivity to swing into action immediately,”
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