Resume rules in Nigeria

What employers in Nigeria expect on a Curriculum Vitae, what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.

Call it a CV for Nigeria or a resume for Nigeria: it's the same document. Employers there usually want it written in English.

This is research, not legal advice. Employment and data protection law changes, state and provincial rules matter in federal countries, and practice varies by industry and seniority. Each entry shows when it was looked up and how confident we are. Where nothing reliable was published it says Not found rather than a guess.

Law and practice, side by side

The label on the right is what local hiring expects. The two lines under it are the law and the habit, which often disagree.

Photo: Uncommon

Uncommon/Avoid, modern best practice avoids photo to prevent bias

What the law says: Constitution and Labour Act prohibit discrimination; photos are discouraged in modern practice due to anti-discrimination law alignment, though not explicitly prohibited by statute for applicants

Date of birth: Avoid

Avoid, modern trend moving away from traditional practice of including age

What the law says: Constitution Section 42 does not explicitly mention age as a protected ground; age discrimination in employment is not specifically prohibited

Marital status: Avoid

Avoid

What the law says: Labour Act prohibits discrimination based on marital status

Sex or gender: Avoid

Avoid

What the law says: Constitution and Labour Act prohibit discrimination based on sex; employers may not discriminate in recruitment

Nationality: Optional

Optional

What the law says: No specific statute restricts applicant disclosure

National ID number: Optional

Optional/Post-hire only

What the law says: No statute requires national ID on CV; BVN (Bank Verification Number) typically collected post-hire

The rest of the entry

Local name of the document
Curriculum Vitae
Language to submit in
English
Typical length
Not found specific length in statute
Address detail expected
Include current address
Religion, ethnicity or caste
Constitution prohibits discrimination based on religion, ethnic group, place of origin; employers may not consider these in recruitment
Health, disability or pregnancy
Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 protects against discrimination on disability status
Other customary attachments
References commonly expected; cover letter expected for formal applications
Employer may not ask for
Constitution and Labour Act prohibit discrimination on: community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion, political opinion; gender; disability status
Named statutes
Constitution of Nigeria; Labour Act (Cap L.8 Laws of Federation, 2004); Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018
Data protection regime
Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA, signed 12 June 2023; replaced NDPR 2019). GDPR-equivalent obligations on all organizations processing data of Nigerian residents.
Anti-discrimination statutes
Constitution; Labour Act; Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018
Local language source
English only

Where this came from

Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Corrected.

Notes: Evolving best practice in Nigeria moving away from traditional inclusion of personal details (age, marital status, photos) toward modern international standards to prevent discrimination. NDPA 2023 is comprehensive and GDPR-equivalent.

Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this

5 sources we opened