WE ARE DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE WELL-BEING OF OLDER PERSONS- NSCC BOSS

Maryam Aminu

The National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), on Tuesday organised a strategic meeting in collaboration with Expanding Social Protection for Inclusive Development (ESPID), and other stakeholders in Abuja to plan on the forward.

DG NSCC Dr Emem Omokaro, Perm Sec Federal Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Alh Bashir Nura Alkali some Stakeholders.

The Director General, National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), Dr. Emem Omokaro at the inception meeting made it known that the National Senior Citizens Centre is the first ever distinct focal agency dedicated to holistic interventions to guarantee the rights of senior citizens to dignified, secured, healthy and happy lives, to improve the wellbeing of Nigeria’s ageing population.

The DG added that the establishment of the act in 2017, was preceded by the approval of a National Policy on Ageing,all of which precipated from an unrelenting rights advocacy, securiry, mobilization and capacity enhancement across MDAs to recognize older persons as right holders and to set objectives to realize their inclusion and participation in social development.

Old age is a blessing and as such should be honored. Ageing is not a curse.The senior citizens should be cater for in a variety of domains. Most of ageing people are faced with issues which are presently marginalized and uncoordinated,making the older persons invisible and structurally excluded in national and sub national development schemes, Emem added.

The DG further stated that there is need to bring dignity, wellbeing, security, to senior citizens. There is need to improve old age allowances and income, there is need to enable older persons to live independently as long as possible, she stated.

Indeed two good heads are better than one that is why we have called MDAs, professional bodies, a researchers, senior citizens/ pensioners representatives, CSOs, private sector and international organizations for deliberation.

Also speaking, the honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development Haj. Sadiya Umar Faruk represented by Alh Bashir Nura Alkali, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry said, “In developing National Policy on Ageing and establishing the National Senior Citizens Centre, the government of Muhammadu Buhari has ensured that every essential institutions and mechanisms to facilitate the quality of life,economic and social participation of older persons are guaranteed and their challenges are integrated into Nigeria’s development plans”.

World Health Organization (WHO), assured the house of their support to enable healthy living for the older persons.