October 5 will henceforth be known as the National Day for Senior Citizens in Nigeria. This is according to a declaration made by President Muhammadu Buhari at the First Presidential Summit on Ageing and Awards ceremony held at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
The declaration is to recognize the contribution of the elderly to nation building and also to highlight their plights.
The Minister of Interior Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who represented Buhari, said that 4.7% of Nigeria’s citizens or about 9 million citizens have made huge sacrifices for National development. But he noted in addition that despite their contribution, the elderly have been maligned and treated in undignified way.
“Senior citizens are the most neglected and abused in the society and have been left to die in silence. In bringing about a paradigm shift, I, President Muhammadu Buhari, signed into law, the National Senior Citizen’s Centre Act 2017, to cater for the needs of senior citizens.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to effectively mobilising capital resources needed to develop the appropriate mechanism that will be geared towards promoting and providing unhindered access to social services.
“As a further demonstration of our support for senior citizens, the 5th of October every year will be celebrated as National Day for Senior Citizens in Nigeria,” he said.
Eight senior citizens, including Nathaniel Okoro, the first indigenous Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation; Chief Richard Olajide Idowu, the first blind Television Producer and radio presenter as well as Hajiya Saudatu Usman Bungudu, a one-time Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, amongst others, were recognized for their service with awards of excellence.
Before now, notable Nigerians have been voicing concern about the negligence of the elderly in Nigeria are facing, which is remarkable in the lack of welfare and government support for them.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, commended the event, describing it as the first ever Summit on Ageing in recognition of the senior citizens in Nigeria.
She thanked the President for signing the Disability Acts 2018, and the National Senior Citizens Centre Acts 2017, and appealed for takeoff funds for the Centre.
The Permanent Secretary of Humanitarian Affairs Ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, was another notable figure to speak regarding the event. In a presentation titled: “The Stakes for Policy and Legal Framework and Implications for Social Inclusion of Older Persons”, Alkali said Nigeria has lagged behind in global index when it comes to the welfare of the elderly. He noted that “the 2013 and 2015 Global Agewatch Index, published respectively, in which 96 countries, were consecutively assessed, showed that Nigeria’s ranking among the 96 selected countries was abysmal; 85th in 2013 and 86th in 2015.”
However, he commended the initiative. He said the National Policy on Ageing and the National Senior Citizens Centre Act 2017, which was also unveiled at the Summit, would go a long way in improving the standard of living of ageing persons in the country.
While the initiative is applauded, governments have been largely blamed for the suffering of the elderly in Nigeria, which has come mostly as a result of the former’s inability to live up to its responsibilities. For instance, the embezzlement and withholding of pension funds, which cuts across all governments in Nigeria, is a major reason why most senior citizens are living in abject poverty.
The three tiers of government in Nigeria are still deeply buried in this practice. In 2019, the federal government made move to borrow N2 trillion from Pension Fund. Though the move was fiercely resisted by the public, the government has been dipping hand into the retirees’ reserve.
A report made in September by Leadership Newspaper said that the federal government has borrowed a whopping N8.29 trillion from Pension Fund Assets which stood at N12.9 trillion at the end of August.
In addition to providing social amenities for the elderly in the country, the government has been advised to ensure that Pension Fund is protected and retirees are timely paid their pension.
