Breaking: Job Ad: Outrage as Edo Govt Pegs Age Limit at 30 With 2-Year Experience Requirement

 

Job Ad: Outrage as Edo Govt Pegs Age Limit at 30 With 2-Year Experience Requirement

By [Prince Agbedeyi O. D] | Benin City

The Edo State Government has come under fire following its recent job advertisement, which many have described as discriminatory and unrealistic. The advert set the maximum age for applicants at 30 years, while also demanding a minimum of two years’ work experience—a combination that has triggered widespread backlash from concerned citizens and youth advocates.

Prominent among the critics is Agbedeyi Odimientimi Desmond, a public affairs analyst and youth inclusion advocate, who labelled the policy “a slap in the face of unemployed graduates.”

“This is a government that hasn’t created any meaningful jobs for years,” Desmond said in a statement. “Now you’re telling young people, who’ve sat at home jobless because of your inaction, that they can’t apply because they’re over 30 or lack two years of experience. It’s as good as telling the children of the common man not to apply at all.”

He described the recruitment criteria as a deliberate attempt to shut out a large percentage of the state’s unemployed youth, especially those who graduated years ago but have remained jobless due to the state’s poor employment landscape.

“Where are they supposed to get the two years of experience from? From the same jobs you refused to give them?” Desmond asked.

Many Nigerians have taken to social media to echo Desmond’s sentiments, accusing the state government of being disconnected from the realities of young people struggling to find jobs in an already saturated and difficult market.

Civil society groups are also weighing in, demanding that the government scrap the age ceiling or, at the very least, create entry-level positions specifically designed for fresh graduates.

“This policy needs to be revisited immediately,” said a representative of the Edo Youth Coalition. “You cannot marginalize a whole generation and still claim to be youth-friendly.”

As calls for review grow louder, Edo youths and stakeholders are waiting to see whether the government will listen—or dig in.