How To Reduce Age in Nigeria Legally (2024)
Are you inquisitive on how to reduce your age? Do you want to alter your current birth date to a lower date? Though changing of age may be illegal, we have provided ways on how to go about the process of age reduction in Nigeria. This article will also incorporate the scenario of reducing age, the implications of age reduction, and how to get an age declaration affidavit in consonant with the age reduction.
Reducing an age by altering the birth date by any means is known as age fabrication. This occurs when an individual deliberately misrepresents his or her real age to a lower or higher, as the case may be. Age fabrication is usually done with the intention to garner privileges (like qualification) or status, and some may be carried out so they can be younger than what they are for some purposes.
There are many ways and medium through which an age may be altered. Some may be done through the use of oral or written statements or through the altering, doctoring or forging of vital records like certificates.
SOME APPLICATIONS OF AGE REDUCTION
There are many occasions where an age may be doctored. Some people do add to their age so as to make cut-offs for minimum legal or employable age in showbusiness or professional sports. While in some instances, it is not the people themselves who lower their public age, but rather it is others around them, as in the case of public figures who may have their age reduced by fans. Also, most other cases involve taking or adding one or two years to the real age of a person for any reasons. Either the case, here are popular scenarios which always result to age reduction in Nigeria and the world.
1. To Prolong Employment: In Nigeria, the employment sector, especially the civil service is much inclined to age reduction. This is done so as to increase their work years and avoid retirements. But with this going on, there is a greater chance given to unproductivity and unemployment.
2. In Sports: Age Reduction is very common in sports, most especially the competitive ones. This is seen as people may falsify their age to make themselves appear younger which will hence enable them to compete in world-level junior events and also to make them play in the game for a long time. Prominent examples of age reduction in sports are in athletics and football. The latter is very much rampant. It is common amongst football players from underdeveloped countries to go for an incorrect age especially as where the adequate records and documents about the players are not easily verifiable.
A good numbers of footballers have altered their age so as to play in youth tournaments, and as while have an advantage against a rival in a competition. Some do reduce age so as to secure football contracts.
3. In Entertainment Industry: Another area where age fabrication is common especially in Nigeria is the entertainment industry. This is seen as a lot of actors and actresses subtract at least one year from their actual age so that producers and casting directors will be more likely to hire them for movie roles, because they have an advantage age. Also, the music industry is not an exception as music stars may reduce his or her age so as to stay long in the line.
HOW TO REDUCE YOUR AGE IN NIGERIA LEGALLY
Though there are many ways to change an age, but the only recognized medium to reduce an age in Nigeria is by changing your birth date on your birth certificate. This is possible by sending a request for Age Declaration to the High Court and stating the reasons for your name change.
BY AGE DECLARATION
Age Declaration as said earlier, is the only way to alter and reduce an age in Nigeria. This is a sworn affidavit in the court stating the birth of a person. When this is done, an attestation letter which is a document given to back up the sworn Age Declaration Affidavit, will be given to you by the Court. You will further go to the National Population Commission and file a request for a birth certificate with the Court’s attestation letter, and from there your application will be accessed and subsequently given a attested Birth Certificate reflecting your new birth date and age.
However, in most cases, obtaining an Age Declaration Affidavit is usually from a High Court. For those under the age of 18, they would need the presence of a parent before an Age Declaration Affidavit can be obtained. When the Age Declaration Affidavit is gotten from the court, it is then submitted to the NPC office and from then a birth certificate indicating the new birth date will be issued to the person in request.
PROCEDURES TO OBTAIN AN AGE DECLARATION AND REDUCE AGE IN NIGERIA
Age Reduction in Nigeria is down to having a Court Age Declaration Affidavit of your age and birth date. To give you a smooth process, here are the guidelines to follow in order to obtain a age declaration and subsequently reduce your age;
- The very first thing to do, is to go to a High Court and declare your new acclaimed age under oath.
- A form will be given to you, Fill out the application form and indicate a viable reason for the age declaration.
- Be mindful that some essential information about you will be required. This includes: Date of your birth, Place of Birth, your family and you will need to claim that there was no means to record your birth date at the time of birth and place where you were conceived.
- You will receive an original declaration of age certification stamped by the High Court’s Commissioner for Oaths. The duration of getting the Age Declaration letter is not long as it usually takes hours to receive the stamped Age Declaration letter from the High Court.
- Finally, with the Age Declaration letter, go to any nearby offices of National Population Commission and request for an attestation Birth Certificate which will reflect your new birth date. The charges for this usually cost about N2,000, and is subject to change upon when reviewed.
IMPLICATIONS OF ALTERING YOUR AGE
Though it may be nice to be more younger in terms of age, but there are some critical shortcomings you should avoid in altering your age.
- First, as the age is new, every other thing must be new and be in default. This will be that all your certificates must be uniform and must reflect your new date of birth and age. Some of these important certificates are your school certificates, work records and other essential certs that requires your birth date.
- Also, this practice of age reduction has its sequel consequences, which is that it reduces productivity. As age reduction is rampantly practiced in employments in Nigeria, when this is done there will be a somewhat reduction in resourcefulness particularly for jobs where physical strength is required. Also, it bring about corruption, as more older employees tend to stay beyond their year.
CONCLUSION
Age reduction is viewed in two perspectives which effects positively and negatively in both ways. Reducing an age may be of benefit to the person who goes about it, because it will open him or her to options that may peradventure was not available in the former age. In the other way, it brings about corruption and unproductivity.
This is our take on this as we’ve been able to outline how to reduce your age in Nigeria, accompanied by its pros and cons.
