Reps call for more funding for Senior Citizens Centre amid concerns

The responsibility of the NSCC is to take care of the country’s senior citizens.

Bashiru Dauda, Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on disabilities matters, has decried the inadequate funding of the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC).

Dauda said the development was hindering the agency from carrying out its whole responsibilities. He said this in Abuja on Thursday at an event organised to celebrate Nigeria’s older persons and the important role they play in society.

He said that part of the responsibility of NSCC was to take care of the country’s senior citizens. The event was organised by the NSCC and House of Representatives Committee on Disabilities in recognition of people who have helped in removing the barriers before older persons.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reports that the event was part of the activities put together to celebrate the 2024 Older Persons Day, celebrated annually on October 1.

The chairman said older person’s Bill before the House had passed through the first reading, adding that it spells out all privileges, welfare and other things important to older persons.

“The bill spells out issues on discrimination of the older person’s, security of their income, old age benefit and dementia issue which sometimes the aged pass through,” he said.

Similarly, Dr Salmat-Ibrahim Anas, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Health, said many older persons face disability challenges. Anas said Tinubu was not relenting on caring for people with disabilities, adding that the older people were it. He urged the NSCC goodwill ambassadors unveiled at the venue after their inauguration on October 2, to live up to their responsibilities.

Olori Temitope Ogunwusi, wife of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, urged Nigerians to begin to treat right the older persons around them. She said the same way they treat the older ones was how they would be treated when they get to the stage.

“Nothing kills faster than isolation; let’s not ignore them, let them not feel unrecognised, let us always check on them, loneliness kills faster.

“Let’s start rendering services to humanity, let’s make our aged citizens be proud of their age,” Ogunwusi added.

The Director-General of NSCC, Emem Omokaro, identified the challenges faced by senior citizens to include poverty, redundancy, health challenges, and a sense of deprivation.

“The universal declaration of human rights has been in existence for 75 years. It offers the universal human family promises of equality, equity, non-discrimination on the bases of rights and dignity, independence participation and care,” she stated.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of age-friendly and elder justice advocacy awards to states, people and places. The recipients were rewarded for helping to remove the barriers confronting older persons.

States that benefitted from the awards include Lagos, Oyo, Abia, Kano, Plateau and Delta.

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