By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA- MINISTER of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development,Sadiya Umar-Farouq, has explained that President Muhammadu Buhari established the National Senior Citizens Centre, to develop the National Policy on Ageing.

The minister said in establishing the National Senior Citizens Center, Buhari’s administration “has ensured that the very essential institutions, systems and mechanisms to facilitate the quality of life, economic and social participation of older persons, are guaranteed.”

Speaking, Monday,at the National Citizens Centre’s maiden dialogue,with Senior Citizens in Abuja,Farouq also said the government was ensuring that the challenges of older persons and the opportunities that accrue from meeting these challenges were integrated into Nigeria’s development plans.

At the occasion with the theme:”Leaveraging Senior Citizens’ Partnership for Effective Service Delivery”,he said:”In contemporary times, poverty, hunger and COVID-19 pandemic are threatening and, when global efforts are tailored towards the attainment of the sustainable development goals with the mantra of “leave no one behind’, responsible governments are fashioning policy and legal frameworks to ensure the inclusion of its vulnerable population.”

The minister, speaking further,said:” I am delighted to say that, with the establishment of the National Senior Citizens Center, the concerns of older persons are no longer handled in discretionary and arbitrary manner but, are now addressed comprehensively, as detailed, in the National Senior Citizens Act and the National Policy on Ageing, which is soon to be operationalized by NSCC.

“The now instituted Older Persons Safety-net Program, which targets very poor and vulnerable older persons, attest to the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to age- inclusive development.”

” I encourage the senior citizens to let your voices be heard by your unreserved participation, in keeping with the theme and objectives of today’s Senior Citizens’ Forum Maiden Dialogue which are indicative that, the National Senior Citizens Center intends to forge and leverage strong partnership with senior citizens to effectively deliver on its mandate,”she tasked.

Earlier in her speech, Director General, National Senior Citizens’ Centre,NSCC, Dr Emem Omakaro, said the centre would undertake open campaigns against ageism in order to ensure that the elderly have legal services in order to access justice when abused.

She said: “We are campaigning against ageism and barriers. We must promote positive reorientation to change citizens’ perspective on ageism. Old people are not witches.

“Then, we have war against elder abuse. It is the mandate of the National Senior Citizens’ Centre to set mechinery in place to adopt the system that is already in place to fight elder abuse like education, report and rescue and even legal services for access to justice.

“Anywhere we go, we want to see inclusion, respect and participation of older persons in the community.”

Omakaro, also revealed government’s intension to create income programmes to shore up their revenues, adding that healthcare insurance scheme for retirees would also be institutionalised.

“Government will create income programmes. For those who are already engaged, we can upscale and create more income programmes so that the income scheme will not just be for those who are into entrepreneurship but for senior citizens.