By Gift Olivia Samuel, The Sight News
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk, has called on Nigerians to promote an age-friendly environment for older persons to thrive.
This is just as she noted, that this age-friendly environment must include adequate and appropriate housing, public and private spaces that provide access to older persons with disability, communities where older persons have opportunities for continued participation, intergenerational synergy and contribution and facilities for long term care.
Farouk, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Humanitarian Affairs, Alh. Musa Bungudu, made this known Tuesday at the launch of the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) Strategic Roadmap on Ageing 2022-2032 and the National Plan of Action on Ageing in Nigeria and Project Activities 2021-2025.
The launched documents, she said, will support the National Senior Citizen Center to achieve the desired coordination, collaboration, cooperation and communication in mainstreaming issues affecting the older persons in Nigeria in all the critical Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
According to her, “l am delighted that the Federal Government has the political will to make issues of older persons a priority. I appeal to all States to do the same, there is no alternative to enhancing the wellbeing of older people in our communities.
“We need to take the message of inclusive society where every older person can live a dignified, healthy, happy and secured life to the fullest to all the States and the local government areas and communities where our people are vulnerable and build their resilience.
“As we deliver these two Plans into the hands of the desk officers in the MDAs, we plead with you to create an inclusive environment for older persons who are particularly vulnerable to disability in old age due to disease susceptibility.
“The effect of the impairment is often exacerbated by ageism: negative stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination and a lowered expectation of their abilities, which informs the exclusion from participation in what they value and negates their wellbeing and reaching full potential”, she said.
While thanking the DG of NSCC and her team for the commitment to implementing the National Policy on Ageing, she expressed hopes that the Plans will be implemented and not kept in shelves.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr. Nasiru Sani-Gwarzo noted that we cannot continue to neglect our older persons in view of their experience, knowledge and skills in our communities because they are still making key contributions in economic, political and social life.
Sani-Gwarzo who was represented by the Director, Human Resources Management, Mr. Tokunbo Rufai, while stating that the older persons have been long neglected in our communities, emphasized that the time for urgent action and intervention is now.
“As the proportion of the older people continues to increase in Nigeria, I urge you to expand your activities by engaging the State Governments for further collaboration. There is the need to expand for improved information and analysis of the aging population, assist policymakers to define, formulate goals and programmes, raise public awareness and support for required policy changes.
“One of the objectives of the National Policy on Ageing in Nigeria is to cause a fundamental positive change in perception, attitude and paradigm about ageing, old age and an inclusive society. We look forward to achieving this through the implementation of the Strategic plan and the Operational Plan”, he concluded.
In her welcome address, the Director General, NSCC, Dr. Emem Omokaro stated that the launch of the NSCC strategic documents is a milestone for the government as it presents evidence of the administrations’ commitment to building inclusive and integrated resilient systems and institutions that can address the challenges of population ageing, cater for the needs of older persons and also exploit the opportunities.
She explained that “By these documents, Nigeria takes an optimistic perception of ageing, viewed from the lens of diversity of older persons and ageing as wrought with both challenges and opportunities, the optimism and so frames programs and services that promote socially and economically active, secured and healthy ageing population.
“The National Plan of Action on Ageing supports an inclusive vision that addresses the demographic change that is comprehensive, grounded in evidence and based on human rights, contributes programs and activities that shift the predominant negative narrative from focus on challenges to a focus on opportunities and solutions”, she said.
