By Olasunkanmi Akoni

SENIOR citizens of Nigeria, the aged, in Lagos state have cried out in supplication to God for intervention as various levels of government in the country. They alleged that the society has forgotten about their welfare leaving them to wallow in neglet.

The aged, who are above 60 years, comprise both sexes and numbered about a hundred, expressed their displeasure, weekend, during an empowerment and free healthcare service programme. The event was organized by Nightingale Senior Citizen Foundation in collaboration with the Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government and held at the council   area office, NRC Building, old Akute. The event, a pet programme of the wife of the Executive Chairman of the council, Mrs. Modupe Oke, takes place every second Friday of each month for the past two years.

Various items such as foodstuff, games for recreation, clothing, cash, among other things were distributed to the beneficiaries who have formed a group, being run by committee members.

Mr. Aro Alaka, 70, who spoke on behalf of other members, commended initiators of the programme for remembering the elder citizens but lamented that their welfare was not well taken care of.

While calling on other well meaning members of the society to emulate the gestures by the foundation and the council, Alaka said the foundation should assist in the movement of members by providing a bus with an inscription of the foundation on it.

They also demanded for a standard Old Peoples’ Home, equipped with Public Health Centre, PHC, recreational centre for games, that would take care of inmates as well as a generator that would power the entire home whenever there is power failure.

Alaka said: “We are suffering. Some of us have died in the past due to boredom and lack of adequate care, apparently, due to insufficient fundss by the children. We have spent our energetic years serving this country meritoriously, there is no reason why the government and well to do in the society  cannot give back to the aged.

“In civilized countries, senior citizens are paid monthly stipends along with other perks and basic infrastructure for recreation. But here in Nigeria, reverse is the case. Therefore we are appealing to governments at every level and the rich to come up with programmes and policy that would ensure adequate welfare for the aged because what goes around always comes around. It is everybody’s prayers to live long to his or her old age. If you fail to plan for your old age, then you have planned to fail.”

Also, Mrs. Anna Ogunbiyi, 68, noted the dearth of welfare homes for the aged and appealed to members of the public to come to their aid as successive governments have failed in their responsibility to help the aged.

She said: “I am very frail now, as you can see. My children are not with me. Every weekend one of them comes around to assist in some household chores. But during the week, am all alone. I lost my husband many years ago. Life is so boring during the week. Please we need your assistance, we the aged in this our country.”

The founder and Executive Director of the foundation, Mrs. Oke, however, said that before year 2010, when she established the foundation, caring for the people, especially the aged had been her passion. She said she hopes to sustain it as far as she could because, “we should all take care of our aged just as we take care of little kids.”

Oke, who disclosed that plans were ongoing to build a standard Old Peoples’ Home, with Occupational Therapy Centre, listed some of the objectives of the programme as: Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of minor ailments for the elderly, provision of free drugs, distribution of cash gift among others.