NSCC Calls for Age-Friendly Nigeria as Older Persons Day is Celebrated
Oru Leonard
The National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) has called for urgent reforms to Nigeria’s healthcare, pension, social protection and public infrastructure systems to meet the needs of a rapidly ageing population.
The Director-General of the Centre, Hon. Medinat Omobolanle Akinyemi-Obe, made the call in a statement to commemorate the 2026 International Day of Older Persons, observed on October 1.
The 2026 celebration is themed “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives.”
Akinyemi-Obe said the theme was particularly relevant to Nigeria as life expectancy increases and the population of citizens aged 60 and above is projected to grow significantly in the coming decades.
According to her, longevity should be accompanied by dignity, adequate healthcare, financial security and social inclusion, stressing that “longevity without dignity is not the goal.”
She said the NSCC, established by law in 2018 and inaugurated in 2021, was working to ensure that Nigeria’s systems and institutions were better prepared for an ageing population.
The Director-General identified health and care, financial security and inclusion, age-friendly infrastructure, and changing societal attitudes towards older persons as four key areas of intervention.
On healthcare, she said the Centre was finalising the National Policy on Ageing and the Older Persons Care Quality Assurance Framework, while also working towards training 5,000 community caregivers and promoting the establishment of geriatric desks in Primary Health Centres across the 774 Local Government Areas.
She explained that the initiative was aimed at reducing the burden on older persons who often have to travel long distances to access appropriate healthcare.
On financial security, Akinyemi-Obe said the NSCC was deepening collaboration with the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) and state governments to address pension-related challenges.
She added that the Centre was expanding its Continuing Engagement Bureau to enable retired but capable senior citizens to continue contributing their knowledge and skills through mentoring, teaching and other productive engagements.
The NSCC, she further said, was working to link indigent older persons with available social safety-net programmes.
The DG also called on the 36 state governments to domesticate the Senior Citizens Act and establish State Councils on Ageing as part of efforts to create a more age-friendly Nigeria.
She identified simple interventions such as accessible public transportation facilities, ramps in hospitals and priority services in banks as measures capable of restoring dignity to older citizens.
Akinyemi-Obe also urged Nigerians to change perceptions of older persons, stressing that they should not be viewed merely as beneficiaries of government programmes.
“Older persons are not just beneficiaries; they are drivers,” she said, noting their continuing contributions as farmers, traders, faith leaders, community leaders and caregivers.
She called for an end to age discrimination and greater intergenerational solidarity.
Addressing senior citizens across the country, the NSCC boss said: “We see you. We hear you. You built this nation.”
She urged young Nigerians to respect and listen to older persons, noting that the manner in which society treats its elders would have implications for future generations.
Akinyemi-Obe also appealed to the private sector, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders and the media to partner with the NSCC in building an inclusive society.
“As we celebrate Independence and our elders today, let us remember: A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable – its children and its older persons,” she said.
She wished senior citizens across Nigeria a happy, healthy and dignified International Day of Older Persons and reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to promoting their welfare and inclusion.
