AGEING MAINSTREAMING: Partnership is a Critical Strategy Action- Omokaro

Oru Leonard

Director General, The National Senior Citizens’ Centre (NSCC), Dr. Emem Omokaro has said that Partnership is a Critical Strategy Action

Dr Omokaro said this on Tuesday at Abuja during a capacity building workshop on ageing mainstreaming in sector plan and inputs into NSCC strategy.

The workshop drew participants from different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as from States to discuss on how issues of older persons in the peculiar context of ageing, can be mainstreamed into all the programs of the major sectors in the country.

Emem in welcome remarks stated that the NSCC cannot run away from partnerships because it is the Centre’s critical strategy action, which was why all the relevant MDAs—National Bureau of Statistics, National Planning Commission, Ministries of Transportation and Environment and many others were attending the workshop.

“It is very critical that issues of older persons in the peculiar context of ageing are mainstreamed into all the programs, activities and budget lines of these major sectors, so that is why it is very important that we have these discussions.

“Having now understood their mandates and how it pertains to older persons, how do we now mainstream? What are those steps and actions we need to take together to ensure that older persons are included? This is accelerating social inclusion for older persons”, she said.

She also disclosed that NSCC has developed very innovative mechanism to ensure the prevention of elder abuse right from the family and community, adding also that they  have identified all those Ministries and Agencies that have that mandate in different capacities and statewide structures, such as the National Human Rights Commission, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, National Orientation Agency and others.

Dr Omokaro pointed out that invitations for the workshop was extended to states because “the NSCC mandate says align, work and collaborate with states because as you know, older persons are really not the constituents of the federal government, they belong in the state and local governments. The ripple benefit expected is an improved quality of life for older persons and for them to have access to age appropriate services and programs to improve their quality of life”.

For his part, the Save the Children Senior Policy and Advocacy Specialist, Saheed Mustapha said ageing is a cross-cutting issue and it is important for everyone—MDAs, religious and tradition leaders, communities, private sector and the media— to understand that they have a role to play in the aspect of ageing.

He noted that the NSCC mandate of ensuring the wellbeing of older persons is vested in so many MDAs, adding also, that it is important for the MDAs to understand ageing and the roles they should play to streamline ageing into their existing programs and policies they are running.

He listed issues that face older persons to include; livelihood, income security to live a life of dignity, access to facilities,and many more noting that people need to stop seeing ageing as charity but an industry that can generate employment, revenue and create jobs, not just for the older persons, but also for younger people.

In his word, “People that are not yet senior citizens should understand that they are going to get there, and we have to start thinking about our lives when we get there and start planning. Younger people need to get involved in the issues of ageing. We have to begin to create those inter-generational kinds of programs to get younger people to start thinking of ageing”.

Also speaking, Mr. Emmanuel Udontre from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, said ageing cuts across all sectors and it is the responsibility of everyone, adding that the workshop will create opportunities to rub minds and look at possible areas in which they can mainstream ageing.

“We will be discussing dome of the things we can do practically to ensure that we have older persons in our community and we mainstream them into whatever we are doing in our various Ministries, Departments and Agencies. I think this will be a very good opportunity to interact, bring up ideas and look at ways we can provide care and support to our older persons as citizens”, he said.